Greyfriars Graveyard

Explore the story of Greyfriars Graveyard, Edinburgh’s most important burial ground since the 16th century.

When Greyfriars Graveyard opened in Edinburgh in the 16th, built on the site of a Franciscan monastery on the edge of the Old Town, below the castle, it was Edinburgh’s most important burial site. Over the centuries many of Edinburgh’s leading figures have been buried at Greyfriars, alongside many more ordinary folk, and it is home to a spectacular collection of post-Reformation monuments.In this book, local historian Charlotte Golledge takes the reader on a tour round Greyfriars Graveyard, to reveal its history of the cemetery from when James I granted the land as a monastery to the present day. She explores the huge variety of it monuments and gravestones. The symbolism behind the monuments, stones and carvings is explained, as the different types of Gravemarkers and how the styles changed over the years, a typical nineteenth century funeral example, notable tombs, people and families, not just the famous and, of course, Greyfriars Bobby.Through this she paints a remarkable picture of life and death in Edinburgh over the centuries which will appeal to both residents and visitors to the Scottish capital.