The Sheriff of Bute was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order on the Isle of Bute, Scotland and bringing criminals to justice.
Before the Jacobite uprising of 1745 and the abolition of hereditary jurisdictions in 1746, the office was hereditary until shifting to salaried sheriffs by 1748. The office was mostly held by the Stewarts of Bute. The most historically prominent Sheriff was John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute.
The sheriffdom was combined with Dumbarton in 1854 to form the sheriffdom of Dumbarton & Bute.On the resignation of John Campbell Colquhoun, Sheriff of Dumbartonshire in 1854, Robert Hunter, Sheriff of Bute became Sheriff of Dumbarton and Bute In 1871 it was split and Bute was combined with Renfrew to form the sheriffdom of Renfrew & Bute.On the death of Robert Hunter, Sheriff of Dumbarton & Bute on 25 December 1871 Bute was joined with Renfrewshire and Dumbarton was joined with Stirlingshire. The sheriffdom was split again in 1946, when Bute was combined with Ayr to form the sheriffdom of Ayr & Bute.Union of Sheriffdoms Order 1946 S.I.1946/1037 (S.40): On the Sheriffdom of Ross, Cromarty & Sutherland becoming vacant Ross & Cromarty and Inverness Moray (formerly called Elgin) and Nairn united as the Sheriffdom of Inverness, Moray, Nairn & Ross & Cromarty Sutherland united with Caithness, Orkney & Zetland to form Sheriffdom of Caithness, Sutherland, Orkney & Zetland On the Sheriffdom of Bute & Renfrew becoming vacant The counties disunited Bute united with Ayr to become the Sheriffdom of Ayr & Bute Renfrew united with Argyll to become the Sheriffdom of Renfrew & Argyll (in effect 18 July 1946)
Sheriffs of Bute
John Stewart 1385 James Stewart 1445-1449 Ninian Stewart Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran 1468 Ninian Stewart 1492 Sir John Stuart of Bute John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, 1723-1746
Sheriffs-Depute William Macleod Bannatyne, 1776–1799 John James Edmonstone, 1799–1818 Samuel McCormick, 1818-34 James Ivory, 1834-1838 Robert Hunter, 1839–1854
For sheriffs after 1854 see Sheriff of Dumbarton and Bute
See also Historical development of Scottish sheriffdoms
References