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In the Townhead area of Rothesay, at the top of High Street, you will find the well-preserved remains of St Mary's Chapel. It is situated just beyond the Victoria Cottage Hospital, and is a pleasant 15 minute walk from the town.

The chapel was built around 1300 and was converted into the mortuary chapel of the Stewards of Scotland in 1315. It is thought to be built on the site of an earlier Celtic church. The chapel was part of the Cathedral of Sodor, but the nave was demolished in 1692 in order to build the parish church, which was also demolished (in 1795) to build the present church. The bishopric of Sodor finished in 1566 and the last bishop was John Carswell, Vicar of Kingarth and Kilmartin.

A roof was erected over the ruin in recent years to protect the effigies inside the chapel from further erosion. The effigies are of great interest.

On the floor, amid the mortuary slabs, is the effigy of a Norman warrior.

Much more interesting, and detailed, are the two altar-tombs in the side walls. The earlier of these is the lady effigy, which is made of the same white sandstone of Bute as the jambs of the building and seems to have been built with the wall. The figure is probably that of Alice, first wife of Walter the Steward and the person for whom the mortuary chapel was created. The figure wears a head-dress in the fashion worn between 1270 and 1330 and is dressed in long robes. Unusually, there is the figure of a baby beside her, and her feet rest upon an animal, which may be a dog. Underneath the figure, the base of the altar is divided into eight panels, each showing a female figure engaged in some activity. Two of the figures have Celtic brooches.

The knight's tomb is later and was probably let into the existing wall. It shows a knight in armour and is thought to be the figure of Walter the Steward. It was probably built about 1380. In the accounts of Robert II, son of Walter and Alice, there is an entry for the year 1379 for a tomb for the 'father and mother of the king.'

The chapel is open all year round and it is a good place to visit by yourself, so that you can appreciate the ancient and peaceful atmosphere.

The church graveyard surrounding the chapel and the kirk has some very ancient graves, but many of the older inscriptions are very weathered and some are unreadable. Napoleon's niece, who married a Sheriff of Lancaster, is buried there. One of the very striking things to emerge from a stroll around the graveyard and examining some of the dates on the headstones is the realisation that many of the residents of Bute achieve a very ripe old age indeed.