Rosneath  Rosneath ("Ros Neimhidh" in Gaelic) is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It sits on the western shore of the Gare Loch near to the tip of the Rosneath peninsula which projects south to the Firth of Clyde between the Gare Loch and Loch Long to the west, and about from the village of Kilcreggan which is sited on the southern end of the peninsula, on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The large town of Greenock is directly opposite on the southern shore of the Firth. The Gare Loch narrows at Rosneath to under half a mile (around 600 metres) at a place known as the "Rhu Narrows" after the village of Rhu on the eastern shore of the loch. 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; it is derived from the Gaelic "Rossnachoich", meaning "Virgin's Headland". Another account indicates that it may come from "Ross-neoth", or unwooded headland. The name has historically been spelled as "Roseneath" (notably in both the First and New (or Second) Statistical Accounts of Scotland). A more visible example is Roseneath Street in Greenock which looks over the Clyde to Rosneath Point, and dates from around 1870. 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 until recently. Rosneath Castle was ruined and rebuilt many times; the final rebuilding as Rosneath House came in 1803–06, three years after the previous building burnt down. 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. From 1941 to 1945, Rosneath was home to an important naval base, thanks to its location in the well-sheltered natural harbour of the Gare Loch.