Bute County, North Carolina is a former county in

eastern North Carolina Eastern North Carolina (sometimes abbreviated as ENC) is the region encompassing the eastern tier of North Carolina. It is known geographically as the state's Coastal Plain region. Primary subregions of Eastern North Carolina include the Sandhil ...

. In 1779, it was divided into Franklin County and

Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War: * Warren County, Georgia * Warren County, Illinois * Warren County ...

and ceased to exist.

History

Bute County was established on June 10, 1764, from the eastern part of

Granville County Granville County is a county located on the northern border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,992. Its county seat is Oxford. Granville County encompasses Oxford, NC Micropolitan Statistical Are ...

by the North Carolina General Assembly and named for

John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, (; 25 May 1713 – 10 March 1792), styled Lord Mount Stuart between 1713 and 1723, was a British nobleman who served as the 7th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763 under George III. He was arguabl ...

Prime Minister of Great Britain The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pri ...

from 1762 to 1763. It was formed in order to bring the residents of the eastern half of Granville County with improved access to local government, particularly those residing in St. John's Parish. It was expanded in 1766 to include the northwest part of Northampton County. The residents of Bute County were very much opposed to British rule. When governor William Tryon called for troops to counter the Regulator Movement in 1768, his orders were ignored by the Bute County militia. In the 1770s, it was claimed that "There were no

Tories A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

in Bute". After the Provincial Congress of 1775 and 1776, an act was proposed to divide Bute County. After more than two years of discussion, Bute County was divided on January 20, 1779, generally along the Shocco Creek, with Warren County in the north and Franklin County to the south. The Bute County courthouse was located along Buffalo Rice Path, on land owned by

Jethro Sumner Jethro Exum Sumner ( – c. March 18, 1785) was a senior officer of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Born in Virginia, Sumner's military service began in the French and Indian War as a member of the state's Provi ...

. This location is about six miles southeast of

Warrenton, North Carolina Warrenton is a town in, and the county seat of, Warren County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 862 at the 2010 census. Warrenton, now served by U.S. routes 158 and 401, was founded in 1779. It became one of the wealthiest towns ...

. There was one other town in Bute County, a town without a post office called Littleton. Most of the records of Bute county are located in Warren County.

Notable residents

* Thomas Eaton * William Person

References

External links

Bute County, North Carolina
at the USGenWeb Project

at carolana.com 1764 establishments in North Carolina 1779 disestablishments in North Carolina Former counties of North Carolina {{NorthCarolina-geo-stub

History

Notable residents

See also

References

External links