Recently someone made enquiries about the records of the Mountstuart trust. The reply I had when I made enquiries is as follows; (dated 2.5.2000) From:Mount Stuart Trust <[email protected]> "Our archives are currently closed to researchers during a period of reorganisation which will see the collection fully catalogued for the first time. We hope to be able to open to public access in the next couple of years (Im afraid I cant give a more precise date at present). We do possess a great many items relating to Bute including estate rental ledgers (from 1746) as well as various earlier items. The estate records are currently being sorted, arranged and catalogued and should be available for consultation when the archive opens to the public. In the meantime I would advise that you contact the Bute Museum in Stuart Street, Rothesay, who will be able to undertake research on your behalf for a small hourly fee. They will also have copies of the printed records of the parish of Rothesay from 1658 to 1750 which were published by the 4th Marquess of Bute in the 1930s. The originals of these parish records are held in the Argyll and Bute District Council Archives in Lochghilphead. The archivist there is Murdo MacDonald and he would be a very worthwhile contact. A further potential avenue for research would be the National Archives of Scotland who are based in HM General Register House, Princes Street, Edinburgh. I do hope that this has been of assistance. Yours sincerely, Andrew McLean Archivist"