Greyfriars Kirkyard (Cemetery)

The legend of Greyfriars Bobby in Edinburgh's haunted graveyard

The spooky Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard in Edinburgh of the Greyfriars Kirk. The haunted cemetery is known for the legend of Greyfriars Bobby and as a Poltergeist hideout.

A dog and a graveyard

Around the Greyfriars Kirk is a very famous cemetery ('Kirkyard'). Burials have been held in this cemetery since the late sixteenth century and a number of well-known citizens from Edinburgh have been laid to rest at this Edinburgh graveyard.

Bobby, the Sky Terrier

However, the cemetery owes its fame to the legend of Greyfriar Bobby, the faithful Sky Terrier who continued to guard his owner's grave until his death. At the beginning of the cemetery, Bobby's headstone can be seen on the spot where his supposed burial place can be found. The grave of owner John Gray is thirty meters north of the entrance. The statue of the Sky Terrier can be found in front of Greyfriars Pub, which is located near the church.

^{Greyfriars Kirkyard, the haunted cemetery in Edinburgh}

^{Greyfriars Bobby, statue to the legendary dog}

The haunted cemetery of Poltergeist

Besides Bobby, there are other high-profile monuments at Greyfriars Kirkyard. The cemetery shows numerous murals from the seventeenth century, which are rich in symbols of mortality and immortality. Well-known examples are: angel of resurrection and king of terror. Further monuments are the famous Martyr's Monument, the monument of Sir George Mackenzie and the Duncan Ban MacIntyre's Memorial. Mackenzie's grave in particular has spawned countless ghost stories about the 'Poltergeist' still haunting his former grave. Not afraid? The haunted graveyard is therefore visited at night by numerous ghost tours (more info about ghost tours).

Greyfriars Kirk

Greyfriars Kirk is a parish church in Old Town Edinburgh, built in 1620. It is a Gothic and Baroque style church. The name Greyfriars owes the church to the order of Franciscan monks, who settled in Edinburgh from the Netherlands in the fifteenth century.

More reasons for a graveyard visit

Has Bobby convinced you to go to the Greyfriars Kirk and Kirkyard yet? Here's a tidbit: Greyfriars is rumored to have been one of the inspirations for J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. And did you know that the UK's worst ever poet, William McGonagall, is buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard? Harry Potter fans will also recognize the surname as a character from Rowling's books.

Where is Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh?