History of the United Church of Bute
(and its predecessors)

The United Church of Bute was formed in 1999, by the union of five churches. These were Ascog, Craigmore St Brendan’s, High Kirk, Kingarth and Kilchattan Bay and North Bute.

In 2002, at the end of a short ministry, the congregation asked for and were granted a period of Interim Ministry in order to assess the situation and look to the future of the Church of Scotland on Bute. The Interim Ministry began in May 2003. In June 2004 we entered into a Parish Grouping with Trinity Church, our sister church in Rothesay. The Interim Ministry ended in March 2005 and we have now called the Rev Ian S Currie to be our minister.

The United Church of Bute consists of the remnants of 10 churches that existed a century ago

Ascog was built in 1843 and was the first building opened as a Free Church of Scotland. At that time it was known as Kingarth  Free Church. In 1900, after the union between the Free Church of Scotland and the United Presbyterian Church,  it became Kingarth United Free Church and in 1929, after the union of the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland it became known as Ascog Church. In 1957 it formed a link with Craigmore St Brendan's. It was closed after the Christmas Eve service in 1999 as part of the union of the five churches which joined together to become the United Church of Bute. more

Bridgend - the first small Anti-burger church was built in 1778. A new church was built across the road in 1836, known by then as the United Secession Church and in 1852 after a church union it was the United Presbyterian Church. After the 1900 Union it became Bridgend United Free Church. In 1908 a new church was built on the site and after the union of 1929 it became Bridgend Church. In 1942 Bridgend united with New Parish to form St John's

New Parish was opened in 1797 as a chapel of ease for the High Kirk in the High Street. This was erected to a church in its own right in 1834, disjoined from the High Kirk in 1871 and in 1879 a new church was built in Argyle Street. New Parish united with Bridgend in 1942 to form St John's. In 1973 the building was declared unsafe and the congregation united with High Kirk

Craigmore St Brendan's was built in 1889 as a chapel of ease for the High Kirk in Rothesay and was disjoined from the High Kirk to become a parish church in its own right in 1902. In 1957 it was linked with Ascog Church. The main church was damaged by fire in 1973 and, as it would have too costly to reinstate the building, a new modern building was erected beside the tower of the old one. The building closed as a place of regular Sunday worship at the end of 1999 but it still used as a church centre.  more

High Kirk In early times the church was dedicated to St Brioch. A later church, built probably as early as the thirteenth century, bore the name of St Mary. Under episcopal rule in the seventeenth century, this church of St Mary at Rothesay was the cathedral of the diocese of the Isles. In 1692 Rothesay Church was rebuilt mainly on its old site. The chancel was retained, but the rest of the building was taken down and rebuilt. The present church was built in 1796 since, by 1795 “the church was in so ruinous a situation” it was not possible to dispense in it the Lord’s Supper with decency and propriety that season. One hundred years later the church was again in a bad state but was repaired and the interior was completely remodelled in 1906 thanks to a grant from the Baird Trust although the full plan was not completed. The organ was installed in 1930 thanks to a grant from the Carnegie Trust. In 1973, the High Kirk united with St John's and linked with Kingarth and Kilchattan Bay Church. In 1999 it became part of the United Church of Bute.

Kilchattan Bay In 1843, at the time of the Disruption, the congregation who left Kingarth Parish Church set up a mission station, known as South Kingarth, at Kilchattan Bay. A new church was built in 1895 beside the original manse (Brandon House) and the hall was added in 1909. In 1900 the church became Kilchattan Bay U. F. Church and then Kilchattan Bay Church of Scotland in 1929. In 1931, both Kilchattan Bay and Kingarth were vacant and it was decided to united the two churches. Kingarth and Kilchattan Bay Church linked with the High Kirk, Rothesay in 1973. In 1999 it became part of the United Church of Bute.

Kingarth The first church here was most likely built by St Catan towards the end of the sixth century. In the old churchyard of Kingarth there were the ruins of an ancient Norman church. . In 1680 a new parish church was built and was called the Mid Kirk as it was mid-way between St Blane's and Mountstuart. [From 1724 to 1740 the Countess of Bute, guardian of John, Earl of Bute, then a minor, kept the parish vacant. During that time a new kirk for Kingarth was built by the parishioners at Mount Stuart, but no title to the site having been granted, it was taken by the third Marquess of Bute to form a mausoleum. In 1826 this latter was replaced by another new church. Kingarth Church united with Kilchattan Bay in 1931 and closed in 1968 after serious storm damage to the roof.

St Bruoc's The North Bute Free Church opened in Stuart Street, Port Bannatyne soon after the Disruption and later built both a church and school in Castle Street in the village. In 1879 a new church in Marine Road,  with hall and vestry below, took the place of the old one. This became North Bute United Free Church after 1900 and St Bruoc’s after 1929. In 1956 they united with St Ninian’s congregation after St Bruoc’s building burned down but the bell from St Bruoc’s  was hung in St Ninian’s in 1958

St Colmac's In 1836 John, second Marquess of Bute, built and endowed  a Gaelic church for the northern part of Bute at Croc-an Raer and this became North Bute Parish Church in 1844. It was one of the very few Scottish churches to retain the old fashioned long communion pew with bench seating. After the 1929 union the name was changed to St Colmac's. The church closed in 1980 and the congregation joined St Ninian's.

St John's The church was built in 1879 by the Rothesay New Parish congregation who united with the Bridgend congregation in 1942 to form St John's. The church was closed in 1973 when the building became dangerous due to dry rot and movement in the walls and the congregation united with the High Kirk

St Ninian's was built in 1886 because by that time there had been a shift of population to the new village of Port Bannatyne and the district of Ardbeg had grown considerably. At that time, it was the junior church to North Bute Parish Church at Croc-an Raer but gradually the congregation there became larger. In 1956, it was joined by the congregation from St Bruoc's when that church burnt down. St Colmac's was closed in 1980 and St Ninian's became the only church in the north of the island. In 1999 it became part of the union of the five churches which joined together to become the United Church of Bute.