Rosneath

The Rosneath area has been settled from at least 600 onwards, when St. Modan, a travelling missionary, founded a church there. The name Rosneath may have its roots in this era, being derived from the Gaelic {{lang|gd|Ros Neimhidh}},{{cite web|title=Rosneath|publisher=Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba|access-date=13 October 2024|url=https://www.ainmean-aite.scot/?id=36431}} meaning "promontory of consecrated ground". The name has historically been spelled as Roseneath (notably in both the First and New (or Second) Statistical Accounts of Scotland).{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} A more visible example is Roseneath Street in Greenock, which looks over the River Clyde to Rosneath Point, and dates from around 1870.Roseneath Street is shown on {{cite web | title=Plan of Greenock to accompany Directory. By J. Bartholomew F.R.G.S. 1873 - Town Plans / Views, 1580-1919 | website=National Library of Scotland | url=https://maps.nls.uk/towns/rec/5055 | access-date=30 January 2020}}; connecting between older houses to the Esplanade which was completed in 1867: by then, "Rosneath Point" was shown on the Ordnance Survey 6" map.

Later, the area was heavily fortified, with Rosneath's own castling joining those of nearby Faslane and Shandon (located at Faslane and Shandon), all of which are long since gone. Rosneath village did not yet fully exist by this time; instead, Rosneath parish was home to many free-standing dwellings, the occupants of which were, for the vast bulk of the area's history, employed in agriculture and fishing. Frequent shipping services to Glasgow, Greenock and beyond were vital for the local economy.

Image:Rosneath Primary School.jpg

Rosneath Castle was ruined and rebuilt many times; the final rebuilding, as Rosneath House, came in 1803–06, three years after the previous building burned down.{{cite web |title=Rosneath Castle |url=https://houseandheritage.org/2019/08/03/rosneath-castle/ |website=House and Heritage |access-date=24 November 2019}} Located further uphill from previous versions, it belonged to the Duke of Argyll, whose family retained it until Princess Louise died in 1939. In stark contrast to the earlier castles, it was in the Romanesque Revival style.{{cite web |title=Rosneath Castle |url=https://canmore.org.uk/site/41432/rosneath-castle#details |website=Canmore |publisher=National Record of the Historic Environment |access-date=24 November 2019}}

From 1941 to 1945, Rosneath was home to an important naval base known as Rosneath naval base, thanks to its location in the well-sheltered natural harbour of the Gare Loch. The Americans used Rosneath Castle as a base of operations.{{cite book|author=United States. Bureau of Yards and Docks|title=Building the Navy's Bases in World War II: History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps, 1940-1946|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TNBT-jpBl1QC&pg=PA68|access-date=24 November 2019|year=1947|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|pages=68–74}} The castle was then abandoned and the remains demolished in 1961.

The Rosneath Peninsula was formerly in the traditional County of Dunbarton until local government reorganisation moved it into the Argyll and Bute council area in 1996.

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At the 2001 census, its population was 931. Rosneath lies approximately {{convert|44|mi|km|abbr=on}} from Glasgow by road. It is situated on the B833, a shoreside minor thoroughfare that serves the peninsula.{{cite web|title=Comparative Population Profile: Rosneath Locality, Scotland's Census Results Online 2001 |publisher= General Register Office for Scotland 2007 |url=http://www.scrol.gov.uk/scrol/browser/profile.jsp?profile=Population&mainArea=rosneath&mainLevel=Locality |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927212715/http://www.scrol.gov.uk/scrol/browser/profile.jsp?profile=Population&mainArea=rosneath&mainLevel=Locality |archive-date=2007-09-27}}

• John Anderson, the 18th century scientist, educational pioneer and radical who founded what became the University of Strathclyde, was born in Rosneath where his father served as minister of the parish church.
• The founder of the first Rangers F.C. team, Moses McNeil, lived at Clynder, just outside Rosneath. He was buried at the Old Churchyard of Rosneath in 1938. His death went unnoticed at the time by the media and he had nothing to leave in his will. Moses final resting place has been marked with a plaque by Rangers and members of the local community.
• Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, the daughter of Queen Victoria, was the last resident of Rosneath House.
• William de Bois Maclaren, publisher, businessman and Scout Commissioner, purchased Gilwell Park in Essex and donated it to The Scout Association in 1919.

• List of places in Argyll and Bute

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Category:Villages in Argyll and Bute

Category:Parishes in Dunbartonshire