A Month of Scottish Gravestones - Edinburgh Graveyards

Edinburgh's Old Town is my very favourite place to wander. It is so full of history. With Edinburgh having been the seat of royalty, so much of Scotland's history played out on the Royal Mile and the closes that run from it. 

As well as wandering the streets and visiting the museums, I love to visit the graveyards that are in the Old Town. This week we will look at five of the Old Town cemeteries that are within an easy walk of one another.

First up is Greyfriar's Kirkyard. The kirkyard sits on the site of a former Franciscan friary. Franciscans wear grey cloaks, thus the name Greyfriar's. In 1562, it was recognized that the kirkyard at St Giles was full to overflowing, Mary, Queen of Scots granted the land that once housed the friary to be used as a graveyard. The church came after the cemetery, being established in 1620. It has seen continuous worship since and has been the witness to some of Scotland’s history, including the reading of the National Coventant, subsequently being a prison for covenanters, and perhaps best known for the story of wee Bobby, the watchman’s loyal dug.  

Some major players in Scottish history are buried within the kirkyard including:

George Heriot who was a jeweler and who left his fortune to form a boys school. The school stands next to the kirkyard.

George MacKenzie, King’s Advocate and ruthless jailor

Architect William Adam

Publisher, Printer and Bookseller William Creech

Robert Sibbald, Royal Physician and founder of the College of Physicians

A Month of Scottish Gravestones - George Buchanan

 

George Buchanan was a scholar of Latin. He taught in both France and Spain and while in Spain, was imprisoned by the Inquisition. He spent two years of his incarceration translating the Psalms of David into Latin. 

Buchanan was the first to apply the term 'Celtic' to his native Gaelic culture. In 1561, he returned to Scotland where he tutored Mary, Queen of Scots. However, following the murder of Mary's husband, Lord Darnley, Buchanan denounced her.

In 1566 Buchanan was appointed Principal of St Leonard's College, St Andrews and the following year, he was appointed as the first lay moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. 

In 1570, Buchanan became tutor to the young James VI and was entrusted with giving the young king a protestant education, which was intended to turn him against his mother. Buchanan was also appointed as Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland. 

Late in his life, he published two of his most influential works: The Powers of the Crown in Scotland and A History of Scottish Matters. Buchanan died in September 1582 and is buried in Greyfriar’s Kirkyard.

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.

A Month of Scottish Gravestones - Duncan Forbes of Culloden

Perhaps my very favourite graveyard in Scotland is Greyfriar's Kirkyard in Edinburgh's old town. I am forever fascinated by the people who are interred there. Some remarkably notable figures from Scotland's history. One such gravestone belongs to Duncan Forbes of Culloden. 

Duncan was born Nov. 10, 1685 in Culloden House near Inverness. He was the second son of Duncan Forbes and wife Mary Innes. 

                                                                    Culloden House

Forbes trained in law and then entered the world of politics. He was instrumental in the Hanoverian cause in both the 1715 and 1745 risings. 

Forbes was elected to Parliament in 1722. He became lord president of the Court of Session in 1737. There is a monument to him in Parliament Hall in Edinburgh

When Charles Edward Stuart came on the scene in 1745, Forbes, a staunch Hanoverian persuaded the chiefs of two powerful clans,  the Macdonalds and the Macleods to take the field on the side of the King and not the side of the Jacobites. In fact, Forbes was the main representative of the government in northern Scotland. 

Forbes was financially ruined by the Rising. His estate was badly damaged during the battle and he was never reimbursed for the money he had spent on behalf of the government. 

Duncan Forbes of Culloden died on 10 December 1747. He is buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, near the grave of his brother, John.

Greyfriars Tour with Historic Edinburgh Tours

Tonight's guided tour with Robert of Historic Edinburgh Tours was of the Greyfriar Kirkyard. This is not a ghosty tour, it is an historic tour that helps us better understand the importance of the Kirk, the Graveyard and the people interred within. 

I love the fall tours as we get the added benefit of the projector! This most definitely brings the stories to life.

Historic Edinburgh Tours - Greyfriar's Graveyard

On Wednesday night, we went on an optional evening tour with Historic Edinburgh Tours. These guys are fantastic and really make history come alive. We learned about graveyards, Edinburgh's past and Scotland's history. 

 

If you are in Edinburgh and looking for something a little less "touristy" to do I highly recommend a tour with Historic Edinburgh Tours. You won't be disappointed. The tour of the graveyard is not a ghost tour. It is an historical tour and really gives insight into the lives and times of the people who are buried in the graveyard. 

Tombstone Tuesday - Protecting the Dead

In the early 1800s in Edinburgh, learning to be a surgeon or physician was a difficult task. These were the days long before x-rays, CT scans or MRIs, so the only way to know the internal anatomy of the human body was through dissection.

Permission was granted to the anatomy department of the University of Edinburgh to be allowed to use the bodies of criminals who had been hanged or otherwise executed for the purposes of learning about anatomy. This part of the death sentence was known as "anatomising"

In addition, the homeless who had no one claim their bodies and who then became the property of the Council were also given over to the anatomy department.

However, it was quickly learned that this could be a lucrative business adventure as the Anatomy Dept would pay rather princely sums for a freshly deceased cadaver. This of course gave rise to grave-robbing or body snatching. Late at night, under the guise of darkness, the seedier side of the overcrowded populace of Edinburgh would enter the local graveyards and dig up the newly interred bodies. They would then drag them off to the Anatomy Dept at the University of Edinburgh's Medical School where they would be paid in cash, apparently no questions asked. 

To prevent their loved ones from being disinterred, family members of the poorer of the city's populace would take turns sitting vigil at the graveside of their dearly departed for three to five days, thinking that after this length of time, the bodies would be of no value to the grave-robbers.

The more well-heeled would pay for mortsafes to keep their loved ones safely in the ground. These two are at Greyfriar's Cemetery in Edinburgh's Old Town:

 

and in some cemeteries, such as St Cuthberts they had guards posted to ward off the resurrectionists. This is the guard tower at St Cuthberts:

 

 



I love these old remnants which serve as visual reminders of a very sinister piece of Scottish history.

Tombstone Tuesday - Bloody MacKenzie

 

Tomb of George "Bloody" MacKenzie. MacKenzie was Lord Advocate and member of the Privy Council of Scotland. He was charged with persecution of those opposed to Charles II and as such was notorious for rounding up, imprisoning and or executi...ng the Covenanters. He threw them in a mock jail on the grounds of Greyfriars Kirkyard. It was open to the elements. The prisoners were routinely beaten, starved and many died of starvation or exposure, all at the say-so of MacKenzie. 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.

Historic Edinburgh Resurrectionist Tour of Greyfriars Kirkyard

On Wednesday night, we enjoyed a fantastic guided tour of Greyfriars Kirkyard. The tour is run by Historic Edinburgh Tours. Our guide for the Resurrection Tour was Robert. And it was terrific!

 The tour is called the Resurrectionist Tour, not because they dig up bodies, but because the guides resurrect the stories of some of the more interesting characters whose bodies are buried in Greyfriars.

We learned about cemetery symbolism

 These are all symbols of death

Note the ring in the middle of the stone. This is the memorial for George Heriot, a jeweller

We also learned about the importance of Greyfriars in terms of Scottish history and it being the place where the National Covenant was signed. There is a Martyrs Monument dedicated to those who perished for their beliefs

 

 

We peered into a couple of mausoleums

 

 

 

Including the mausoleum for the infamous McKenzie Poltergiest

 

 

 

 

We learned about different forms of torture including thumb screws

 

 

And we learned about body snatchers and mortsafes

 

 

 

In spite of the cold, it was a very enjoyable, very informative tour of old Greyfriars and I look forward to bringing another group next year. Thank you, Robert & Paul and Historic Edinburgh Tours!

 

 

 

 

Day Three - Edinburgh

While on the research part of the trip, we are housed at the brand new Residence Inn by Marriott in Quartermile. The hotel is on the property of what once housed the Royal Infirmary, and more specifically on the grounds where Simpson Maternity Hospital once stood. The rooms are large and spacious and set up as apartments, complete with a mini kitchen (fridge, microwave and dishwasher), desk to be used as a work area, queen sized beds, sofa, and chair. There is loads of table space, which is unusual for a hotel. The large closet has built in drawers and it feels easy to "live" here for a couple of weeks, since we certainly don't feel as though we are living out of a suitcase. The rooms are all equipped with WiFi and a 32" flat screen tv. Breakfast is available every morning - both hot and cold foods. The Residence Inn is the perfect choice of a home away from home. Centrally located. Clean, spacious rooms that allow for the long stay if necessary and very helpful staff:
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ediri-residence-inn-edinburgh/ 

The area of Edinburgh known as Quartermile is so named because it is located one quarter of a mile from Edinburgh Castle.

We are about two blocks from Greyfriars Kirkyard and cemetery, made famous by the story of Greyfriar's Bobby.

Greyfriars Kirk is built on the site of an old Fransciscan Friary. The kirk was built in 1620 and there has been Christian worship held there ever since (nearly 400 years). The graveyard out back has some of the oldest stones in Edinburgh. The cemetery was created prior to the kirk. The older monuments are along the back wall of the adjacent tenements

and are a testament to some of the most important figures in Edinburgh's history



The graveyard is eerily serene given that it is located in a very busy section of a very busy city.

Around the western edge of the cemetery is the remnants of the old city Wall, known as the Flodden wall which was built in 1513 to keep the English at bay.

The kirk is also worth a visit. Not only is it nearly 400 years old, but it was the first kirk in Edinburgh to house a pipe organ.

Edinburgh is a vibrant city. It is rich in history. Greyfriars is just one small example.