Dear Commons Community,
We spent the afternoon at the Greyfriars Kirk (church) and kirkyard. This Presbyterian kirk (above) opened on the former site of a Roman Catholic church on December 25, 1620. The interior is interesting with minimal ornamentation except for several beautiful stained- glass windows. The grounds around the kirk are mostly a graveyard that is very well kept and is a pleasant place for a walk. The graveyard and the George Heriot’s School next door are said to be inspirations for settings and names used by J.K. Rowling in her Harry Potter books. According to a guide in the Kirk, Rowling lived in the neighborhood and had children who attended the School. She also did much of her writing at local pubs.
The Martyrs Memorial in the graveyard commemorates 18,000 people killed between 1661 and1680 during a period of civil war and religious persecution.
There are a number of prominent people buried in the graveyard such as William Smellie, the editor of the first edition of Encyclopedia Britannica. The gravestone is inscribed with words from his friend, Robert Burns: “Here lies a man who did honour to human nature.”
Greyfriers Bobby was a skye terrier who supposedly spent 14 years guarding the grave of its owner from 1868 to 1872. Greyfriers Bobby is a cult figure in Scotland and there have been books written and movies made telling this story. The statue in the photo below greets patrons of the Greyfriers Bobby Inn.
A pleasant afternoon in one square block of Edinburgh!
Tony
Interior of Greyfriars Kirk
Graveyard Where Some Gravesites Abut the Adjacent Building
Graveyard Path
Martyrs Memorial
William Smellie Grave
Greyfriars Bobby
