Greyfriars Kirkyard

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Greyfriars Kirkyard

Greyfriars Kirkyard is the churchyard around Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh . It is located at the southern end of the historic city center. Funerals have been held here since the late 16th century. A number of prominent Edinburgh residents are buried here. The cemetery is operated jointly by the city administration and a non-profit association. This is connected to the church, but formally independent of it. The cemetery with its monuments is listed in the Scottish monument lists in the highest category A.

history

The name Greyfriars goes back to the Franciscan monastery that was located here and was dissolved in 1559. The churchyard was established in 1561–1562 to relieve the crowded graveyard of St Giles' Cathedral . A city council document of April 23, 1561 states:

“Because it is thoct gude that thair be na buriall within the Kirk, and that the kirk-zaird is nocht of sufficient rowme for bureing of the deid, and for esdrewing of the savor and inconvenientis that may follow thairupon in the heit of somer, it would be providit that ane buriall place be maid farrer from the myddis of the town, sic as in the Greyfreir zaird and the somyn biggit and maid close. "

“Because it is considered right that no more burials should take place in the church, and because the churchyard does not seem to offer enough space there to bury the dead, considering the smell and the hardship in the summer heat, be one Burial site planned further away from the town center, such as in Greyfriars yard , and this should be built and made safe. "

- Edinburgh Town Council

The churchyard played a role in the history of the Covenanters . Their movement began with the signing of the National Covenant (Agreement) in Greyfriars Kirk on February 28, 1638. In 1679 the militant Covenanters lost the Battle of Bothwell Bridge . After this defeat, around 1,200 of them were held captive in a field south of the churchyard. In the 18th century, parts of this field were incorporated into the churchyard. The vaults there are called the Covenanters' prison .

In the pioneering days of photography in the 1840s, photographers such as David Octavius ​​Hill and Robert Adamson used the cemetery as a scenic backdrop for portraits and tableaux vivants .

Tombs

Closed grave vaults are found mainly at the south end of the churchyard and in the Covenanters' prison . They either have solid walls or iron bars to deter corpse robbers. In the early 18th century, looting corpses to sell for anatomical or medical purposes was a profitable business. Only the Anatomy Act of 1832, which allowed the legal use of corpses under certain conditions, put an end to this.

Notable tombs include the Martyr's Monument , dedicated to Covenanters executed in the Killing Time 1661–1688. The Italian-style tomb of the lawyer George Mackenzie was designed by the architect James Smith . It is based on Donato Bramante's Tempietto di San Pietro . Duncan Ban MacIntyre's tomb was renovated in 2005. The 1629 tomb of John Byres of Coates is one of the last works by the royal stone sculptor William Wallace .

  • Prominent deceased

  • Tomb of Sir George Mackenzie

  • Tombs on the east wall

  • Epitaph for George Buchanan

  • Tomb of John Bayne of Pitcairlie, 17th century

  • Martyr's Monument (left)

  • Tomb of surgeon James Borthwick, † 1676

  • Thomas Riddell's tomb probably inspired Joanne K. Rowling's character, Lord Voldemort , born Tom Riddle

Known deceased

Overview plan from 1893 with the location of prominent graves
Epitaph for John Mylne, built by his nephew Robert

At the entrance to the cemetery, on non-consecrated land, is the grave of the dog Greyfriars Bobby , built in 1981 by the Dog Aid Society . The grave of police officer John Gray, his master, at whom the dog is said to have stayed for fourteen years, is on the eastern path, around 30 m north of the entrance.

Haunted stories

Relief sculpture at Greyfriars Kirk

In 1999, a homeless man broke into Henry Mackenzie's stone sarcophagus to use it as night quarters. Since then, haunted stories have grown up around the ghost of the deceased, the so-called Mackenzie poltergeist . Nocturnal visitors report abrasions and bruises that they discovered after visiting the cemetery. Broken fingers and collapses have been reported; The poltergeist is also held responsible for individual deaths in the cemetery.

In 2000, a so-called exorcist claimed to have discovered evil forces in the cemetery who were trying to kill him. A few weeks later he died of a heart attack. The city administration then closed this part of the cemetery. The historian Jan Andrew Henderson was finally able to convince them to allow controlled visits there. He developed a nightly guided tour that became a tourist attraction.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ means St Giles' Cathedral
  3. ^ D. Fraser Harris: History of the Events which led to the Passing of the British Anatomy Act, AD 1832 . In: Canadian Medical Association Journal . tape 10 , no. 3 , March 1920, ISSN  1488-2329 , pp. 283–284 , PMC 1523813 (free full text) - (English).
  4. ^ Gifford, John (1989) William Adam 1689–1748 , Mainstream Publishing / RIAS. Pp. 62-67
  5. ↑ a b Moat Haunted . In: The Scotsman . September 29, 2006 ( [1] [accessed September 8, 2013]).

Web links

Commons : Greyfriars Kirkyard  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 55 ° 56 ′ 48 "  N , 3 ° 11 ′ 32"  W.