Former Scottish county, consisting of the islands in the Firth of Clyde, chief of which are Arran, Bute, Great Cumbrae, and Little Cumbrae. The administrative centre was Rothesay, although the county was so small, in terms of population, that some services were shared with the mainland. An example of this was the local police force, the Renfrew and Bute Constabulary.

In 1974 the county was abolished and became part of Strathclyde Region, which was itself broken up in 1996, whereupon Bute itself became part of Argyll & Bute, while Arran, and the Cumbraes, became part of North Ayrshire.
