Before the

Act of Union 1707 The Acts of Union ( gd, Achd an Aonaidh) were two Acts of Parliament: the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act 1707 passed by the Parliament of Scotland. They put into effect the te ...

, the barons of the shire of Bute elected

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

s to represent them in the unicameral Parliament of Scotland and in the

Convention of Estates The Convention of Estates of Scotland was a sister institution to the Scottish Parliament which sat from the early sixteenth century. Initially it was only attended by the clergy and nobles, but the burgh commissioners were later added. The Conven ...

. After 1708,

Buteshire The County of Bute ( gd, Siorrachd Bhòid), also known as Buteshire, is a historic county and registration county of Scotland. The county comprises a number of islands in the Firth of Clyde, between the counties of Argyll and Ayrshire, the p ...

and

Caithness Caithness ( gd, Gallaibh ; sco, Caitnes; non, Katanes) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Caithness has a land boundary with the historic county of Sutherland to the west and is otherwise bounded by ...

alternated in returning one member the

House of Commons of Great Britain The House of Commons of Great Britain was the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. In 1707, as a result of the Acts of Union of that year, it replaced the House of Commons of England and the third estate of th ...

and later to the

House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 me ...

List of shire commissioners

* 1644: Sir Robert Montgomery of Skelmorlie * 1644–45: Sir James Stewart of Kirktoun, sheriff * 1648: Laird of Kilchattane (Stewart) * 1648: Laird of Kames (Bannatyne) * 1651: Laird of Askog (Stewart) * 1661–63: Sir James Stewart of Kirktoun''Complete Baronetage'', vol. I
p. 322
* 1665 (convention) * 1667 (convention) * 1669–70: Sir Dugald Stewart of Bute * 1669–74, * 1678 (convention) * 1681–82: Ninian Bannantyne of Kames * 1685–86: John Boyle of Kelburn * 1689 (convention) * 1689–93, * 1689–98: David Boyle, later the 1st Earl of Glasgow * 1693–1702: William Stewart of Ambrismore * 1702–03: Sir James Stewart (or Stuart) of Bute, sheriff (ennobled 1703) * 1702–07: Robert Stewart of Tillicoultry''Complete Baronetage'', vol. IV (1904
p. 447
* 1704–07: John Steuart of Kinwhinlick

List of shire commissioners

References

See also