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The title Marquess of the County of Bute was created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1796 for the 4th Earl of Bute, along with the subsidiary titles Earl of Windsor and Viscount Mountjoy, of the Isle of Wight. The Marquessate is shortened in general usage to Marquess of Bute.

The title Earl of Bute had been created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1703 for Sir James Stuart, 3rd Baronet, along with the subsidiary titles Viscount of Kingarth and Lord Mount Stuart, Cumra and Inchmarnock.

The wife of the 3rd Earl was created Baroness Mount Stuart, of Wortley in the County of York, in 1761. This title was inherited by her son, the 4th Earl, in 1794.

The 4th Earl himself had been created Baron Cardiff, of Cardiff Castle, in 1776, before succeeding to the Earldom.

The 2nd Marquess succeeded to the Earldom of Dumfries and its subsidiary titles in 1803.

Lord Bute therefore currently holds the subsidiary titles Earl of Dumfries (Peerage of Scotland, 1633), Earl of Bute (Peerage of Scotland, 1703), Earl of Windsor (Peerage of Great Britain, 1796), Viscount of Ayr (Peerage of Scotland, 1622 & separately 1633), Viscount of Kingarth (Peerage of Scotland, 1703), Viscount Mountjoy, of the Isle of Wight (Peerage of Great Britain, 1796), Lord Crichton of Sanquhar (Peerage of Scotland, 1488), Lord Sanquhar (Peerage of Scotland, 1622), Lord Crichton of Sanquhar and Cumnock (Peerage of Scotland, 1633), Lord Mount Stuart, Cumra and Inchmarnock (Peerage of Scotland, 1703), Baron Mount Stuart, of Wortley in the County of York (Peerage of Great Britain, 1761), and Baron Cardiff, of Cardiff Castle (Peerage of Great Britain, 1776), and is a Baronet of Nova Scotia, styled "of Bute".

The Earls and Marquesses of Bute originally used the courtesy title Lord Mount Stuart for the Heir Apparent. After the Earldom of Dumfries was inherited by the 2nd Marquess, the Heir Apparent has been styled Earl of Dumfries and his Heir Apparent is styled Lord Mount Stuart. The current heir John Bryson Crichton-Stuart was styled as Lord Mount Stuart for some years after his father inherited the Marquessate in 1993. This was because his father was well known as Johnny Dumfries, the Earl of Dumfries. However, the current heir is now styled using the traditional title of the heir - the Earl of Dumfries. He is known as Jack Dumfries for short, and his father is often known as John or Johnny Bute.

The family seat is Mount Stuart near Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. The current Marquess put the other family residence Dumfries House, near Cumnock, East Ayrshire up for sale. The National Trust for Scotland had an offer for the property rejected in 2005. Dumfries House has since been sold.

• Sir James Stuart, 1st Baronet of Bute (d. 1662)
• Sir Dugald Stuart, 2nd Baronet of Bute (d. 1670)
• Sir James Stuart, 3rd Baronet of Bute (d. 1710), created Earl of Bute in 1703

• James Stuart, 1st Earl of Bute (d. 1710)
• James Stuart, 2nd Earl of Bute (d. 1723)
• John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute (1713-1792)
• John Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute (1744-1814), created Marquess of Bute in 1796

• Mary Stuart, 1st Baroness Mount Stuart (1718-1794) {wife of 3rd Earl of Bute}
• John Crichton-Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute & 2nd Baron Mount Stuart (1744-1814), created Baron Cardiff in 1776 and 1st Marquess of Bute in 1796. Two of his daughters-in-law (1st and 2nd wife of his son} were the granddaughter of Lord North and the daughter of Lord Rawdon respectfully.

• John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute (1744-1814)
• John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute (1793-1848) (became 7th Earl of Dumfries in 1803)
• John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute (1847-1900)
• John Crichton-Stuart, 4th Marquess of Bute (1881-1947)
• John Crichton-Stuart, 5th Marquess of Bute (1907-1956)
• John Crichton-Stuart, 6th Marquess of Bute (1933-1993)
• John Colum Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute (b. 1958)

The Heir Apparent is:

• John Bryson Crichton-Stuart, The Earl of Dumfries (b. 21 Dec 1989)

• An Online Gotha - Marquesses of Bute