A Month of Scottish Gravestones - George "Bluidy" MacKenzie

George MacKenzie was born in Dundee in 1636. He was educated at King’s College, University of Aberdeen, then at the University of St Andrews followed by an education at the University of Bourges in France.

 In 1659, he was elected to the Faculty of Advocates. From 1661-1663, he acted as Justice Depute and was involved in several of the Witch Trials of the time. In 1677, MacKenzie became Lord Advocate as well as a member of the Privy Council.

He was charged with persecution of those opposed to Charles II and as such was notorious for rounding up, imprisoning and or executing the Covenanters. Following the Battle of Bothwell Brig in 1679, he “imprisoned” 1200 Covenanters in a mock jail on the grounds of Greyfriars Kirkyard. This was simply a field, open to the elements. The prisoners were routinely executed, beaten and starved. Many of these men died of starvation or exposure.

Due to his nasty treatment of the Covenanter Prisoners, he was given the nick name of "Bloody MacKenzie" In a twist of irony, his mausoleum/tomb is adjacent to the prison he ruled with an iron fist. It is said that his ghost is unsettled at this juxtapostion and so he regularly roams the graveyard as a poltergeist.