Greyfriars Graveyard, ghosts and gouls

Off for the day and into town for a wander, heading for the Royal Scottish Museum, but en route decided to pop into the famous Greyfriars Church Yard. The church and graveyard date back to 1600 and are now part of the several several Ghost Tours around the City - and certainly with cause.

Near to the entrance of the graveyard is the well known statue of Greyfriars bobby, the little dog, imortalised in the movie, which lay by his master's grave (William Gray) for many years looked after by the local people, and after the dog died it was buried in the graveyard.

On a more serious line, the graveyard was the site where some 1600 Covenanters were subsequently imprisoned and on the instructions of "Bluidy Mackenzie" many were beheaded, mutilated, and their parts placed on spikes around the nearby City Wall. There is a Marty's Tomb within the graveyard erected to the memory of the many who died, and I believe many others were shipped out the country. Those who were imprisoned were left to starve and depended on gifts of food from the townspeople.

The grave of Bluidy Mackenzie is believed to host the Mackenzie Poltergeist, following an event when a local tramp, seeking shelter broke into the mausoleum, lifted the grating and went down into the grave chamber, where at some point the body(which had lain in rest for four hundred years) landed on top of the intruder.

For those brave enough to take the Tours of the Dead, there are certainly enough creepy places and spine tingling stories around our wonderful City. All the tours seem to start from around the Tron Church in the High Street and are led by some great guides.

Of personal interest I found the family grave of the Adam's family (not those depicted on the TV in the 70/ 80's) but Adams the famous architects who designed countless building around the UK, including Penicuik House and Hopetoun House. One of Mrs B's former colleagues is a direct decendant and still lives in the family "Pile" in Fife, which, being a listed building he spends his life lovingly restoring.

Penicuik House is now benefiting from massive funding and is turning into a more popular tourist attraction.