Greyfriars Kirkyard

Greyfriars Kirkyard lies on Candlemaker Row in Edinburgh's Old Town, Scotland, beside Greyfriars Kirk. The burial ground was opened in 1562 on the site of a former Franciscan friary garden, after Mary, Queen of Scots granted the land to the town. Its principal historical claim is the signing of the National Covenant in 1638, when thousands of Scots put their names to a document defending the Presbyterian church against royal interference; the original is held elsewhere in the city. In 1679 Covenanter prisoners captured at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge were confined in an enclosure in the south-west corner, now known as the Covenanters' Prison, in harsh conditions. The kirkyard contains the graves and monuments of many notable Edinburgh figures, including the architect William Adam, the poet Allan Ramsay and the Mackenzie Mausoleum, which is associated with the 17th-century lawyer Sir George Mackenzie. The densely packed table tombs, mort houses and wall monuments reflect a Scottish tradition of elaborate funerary architecture, and the walls display carved memorials and skull-and-crossbones motifs. At the gate stands the statue of Greyfriars Bobby, the Skye terrier said to have guarded his master's grave in the 19th century; his grave marker is near the entrance. Greyfriars Kirk itself, dating from 1620 and restored in the 19th and 20th centuries, adjoins the yard. The ground is maintained as an open heritage space with interpretive plaques. Parts are locked at times, including the Covenanters' Prison, which is accessible only on organised tours. The site is free to enter in daylight hours, and its setting in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle and the university makes it a popular stop on Old Town walks.