Misplaced Pages

Canongate Kirkyard

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
#56943

79-535: The Canongate Kirkyard (English: Churchyard ) stands around Canongate Kirk on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh , Scotland. The churchyard was used for burials from the late 1680s until the mid-20th century. The most celebrated burials at the kirkyard are the economist Adam Smith and the poet Robert Fergusson , but many other notable people were interred in the cemetery. It has been claimed that David Rizzio ,

158-439: A correspondence with him under the name "Clarinda". She lived at 14 Calton Hill , and is buried in the tomb of Lord Craig. Burns wrote several poems to her (not published until 1843, after her death). The most famous of these is " Ae Fond Kiss ", which includes the lines "Had we never lo’ed sae kindly, had we never lo’ed sae blindly, never met, or never parted, we’d hae ne’er been broken-hearted". Euphemia Amelia Murray (1768–1845)

237-412: A cruciform layout (highly unusual for a post-Reformation, pre-Victorian Church of Scotland building). The Kirk's interior was extensively remodelled in 1882, with the inclusion of a pipe organ and a central pulpit. These unsympathetic alterations were removed in the early 1950s, along with the galleries. The resulting reordering considerably increased the levels of light; the original dignified simplicity of

316-492: A large sandstone mausoleum with gilded, grey marble tablets, inscribed: "Sacred to the memory of Sir William Fettes of Comely Bank, Baronet, Lord Provost of Edinburgh in 1801 and 1802 and a second time in 1805 and 1806 Born 25 June 1750. Died 27 May 1836... over the grave of its founder, the trustees of the Fettes Endowment have erected this monument, in grateful recognition of the enlightened benevolence which devoted

395-522: A letter explaining his disappointment that Fergusson’s grave in Canongate Kirkyard was still unmarked, thirteen years after his death. The year of birth on the stone is incorrect, though the day and month are correct. The monument was erected in June 1828, after Burns’ own death, but at his express wish. The grave was fully restored in 2010, replacing the enclosing ironwork and chains, and cleaning

474-421: A separate burgh in 1856. The Royal Almoner distributed alms to poor Highlanders in the church during the summer months; yet this tradition ceased during the early years of Queen Victoria 's reign. The burgh council worshipped in the church each Midsummer ; but this too had ceased by the early 20th century. The church's loss of royal and civic status paralleled a decline in the status of its parish. By

553-466: A separate chair in the Practice of Medicine from 1790. He was the inventor of "Gregory's Powder" a mixture of magnesia, rhubarb and ginger, used in the treatment of stomach complaints for around 150 years. His son Dr James Gregory and grandsons Donald Gregory and James Crawford Gregory lie nearby. Poet Robert Fergusson (1750–1774) was trained as a minister, but abandoned this to take up poetry at

632-536: A skull and the motto " memento mori ". It is inscribed "This stone is for the society of Coachdrivers In the Canongate It was chiefly erected by Thomas Jamieson and Robert Maving, treasurer, 1734–65". Below this inscription is a relief sculpture of a coach and horses crossing a bridge. The drivers operated the Edinburgh to London route from White Horse Close, around 200 metres (660 ft) to the east. Several of

711-599: A substantial villa known as Bellevue House or Lodge. It was purchased later as the Excise Office for Edinburgh. It stood in the centre of what is now Drummond Place which is named in honour of George Drummond. He died in Edinburgh on 4 December 1766. Drummond is buried in the Canongate Churchyard , the burial ground of the Canongate Kirk . His name is remembered locally by Drummond Place,

790-561: Is Simon Leach FISM GMusRNCM . The Kirk Secretary and Events Administrator is Imogen Gibson who works from the Manse office. Other notable ministers were Rev John Warden (1709–1764), his son, Rev John Warden of Balancleroch FRSE (1740–1788), a joint founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh , and his grandson Rev John Warden of Kirkton (1767–1846). The family changed their surname to McFarlan in 1767. A remarkable three generations in

869-456: Is also buried here. The Kirk has an active congregation, with a service each Sunday morning at 10:30 plus a monthly evening service. This service lasts just under an hour and follows a set liturgy. The Sacrament of Holy Communion is usually celebrated on the last Sunday of the month during the service. The building is also regularly used for concerts. During the annual Edinburgh Festival , the Kirk

SECTION 10

#1732772086057

948-541: Is extensively used as a venue for music (Venue 60), as is the Kirk's nearby hall – the "Harry Younger Hall" (which is known as "Venue 13" for the duration of the annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe ; The Kirk was previously the regimental chapel of The Royal Scots Regiment of the British Army and is now the regimental chapel of The Royal Regiment of Scotland . Canongate Kirk has been served by several well-known former ministers, two having also served as Moderator of

1027-473: Is famous for the painting by Henry Raeburn The Skating Minister which shows Walker skating on Duddingston loch . The Very Reverend Dr Ronald Selby Wright , known as the "Radio Padre" for his famous wartime broadcasts, was minister from 1937 until 1977 and served as Moderator in 1972. Whilst Dr Selby Wright was away on wartime service as an Army Chaplain, the Revd George MacLeod (later

1106-557: Is known best as the main promoter of the building of Edinburgh's 'New Town' . His intent was to alleviate the unhealthy and overcrowded conditions of the Old Town . In 1766 he persuaded the Town Council to fund an ambitious plan for a grand extension to the city on its north side and to hold a competition for the design. The competition was won by the young architect James Craig who was then only age 21. In 1759, Drummond also began

1185-441: Is said to have openly wept at his funeral and whispered the above words on the plaque to John Gibson Lockhart . Scott had nicknames for both men: John was "Rigdumfunnidos"; James was "Aldiboronti-phoscophornio". Dugald Stewart (1753–1828) was Professor of Moral Philosophy at Edinburgh University from 1785 until 1820. The son of Matthew Stewart , Professor of Mathematics, Dugald is principally remembered as author of Philosophy of

1264-672: Is the portrait of Sir Walter Scott in the National Gallery. Other subjects include Sir David Brewster and Thomas De Quincey . His brother and sister, who founded the Watson-Gordon Fine Art chair at Edinburgh University in his memory in 1879, are also buried here. Horatius Bonar (1808–1889), a preacher and prodigious hymn-writer, was minister in Kelso from 1837, and took part in the Disruption of 1843 . He

1343-410: Is the resting place of several Edinburgh notables including the economist Adam Smith , the philosopher and Smith's biographer Dugald Stewart , Agnes Maclehose (the "Clarinda" of Robert Burns), by tradition David Rizzio , the murdered private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots , and the poet Robert Fergusson , whose statue in bronze by David Annand stands outside the kirk gate. Bishop James Ramsay

1422-442: Is to remain ever sacred To the memory of Robert Fergusson" A further plaque within the front enclosure explains how Robert Louis Stevenson was going to re-inscribe the stone in the mid-19th century. A statue was erected to Fergusson on the pavement at the churchyard entrance in 2004. Daniel Dow (1732–1783), fiddler and composer of vernacular music. Rev William Lothian (1740–1783) minister of Canongate Kirk and joint founder of

1501-625: Is understood that Dr Joseph Black , the chemist and physicist, and James Hutton , the founder of geology, were both at his funeral, being his executors, as would have been David Douglas (see below). Rev. Thomas Hardy (1748–1798) was Professor of Church History and Divinity, Chaplain to the King, Advocate of Church Unity, and one of the ministers of St Giles . David Smythe, Lord Methven FRSE (1746–1806) judge. Benjamin Bell (1749–1806) and his son Joseph Bell, (1787–1848), both surgeons, are buried in

1580-548: The Canongate . The parishioners successfully petitioned the King to divert a mortification of Thomas Moodie of Sachtenhall towards defraying the costs of construction. Moodie's arms now grace the facade of the church. Moodie, treasurer of Edinburgh and a Covenanter , had made an initial bequest of 20,000 merks in 1649 to construct a new church in the Grassmarket . The town council obtained permission to divert

1659-659: The Canongate Tolbooth to in front of the church, before its transition to the sunken garden in 1953. The Canongate Kirkyard has been calculated to have 62 tombs, 140 monuments and 150 wall plaques, ledgers, etc. Very Rev Thomas Wilkie (1645–1711) first minister of Canongate Kirk and twice Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland . James Campbell of Tofts (1684–c. 1750) landowner. The Coachman's Stone, dating to around 1770, displays

SECTION 20

#1732772086057

1738-597: The Disruption of 1843 the minister and almost all of the congregation of the Canongate Kirk remained within the established church. The minister and most of the congregation of the Leith Wynd Chapel, which had been erected a parish quoad sacra in 1834, joined the Free Church and the chapel closed. The New Street chapel was erected a parish quoad sacra in 1867 but no minister was appointed and

1817-584: The Earl of Perth , Lord Chancellor of Scotland presented the Privy Council with a letter from the King, informing them that money was to be diverted towards a church in the Canongate. A site was chosen at the north side of the Canongate and James Smith was engaged as architect. The congregation returned from Lady Yester's and occupied the new church from its completion in 1691. The cost of construction

1896-696: The Grand Lodge of Scotland From November 1752 to November 1753. In this capacity he laid the foundation stone of the new Royal Exchange on the Royal Mile on 13 September 1753 - the building being used later as the City Chambers . In 1722 Drummond was Initiated as a Free Gardener in the Free Gardener's Lodge at Dunfermline. Drummond's house was north of the city. It was bought by General John Scott after Drummond's death and redeveloped as

1975-481: The Iona Community by George MacLeod , who set up a mainland headquarters for the community in the Canongate manse . Forty members of the congregation died during the war. The interior renovation began in 1947 with the visit of Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret on 17 July. Although the church had always had a royal pew , this was the first ever visit by royalty to the church. This royal connection

2054-597: The Jacobite army used the church to hold prisoners from the Battle of Prestonpans . By the late 18th century, the church had become overcrowded and, in 1792, a chapel of ease was constructed in Leith Wynd. A further chapel of ease was constructed at the foot of New Street in 1792. The trade incorporations of the Canongate supported the construction and were rewarded with the right to nominate its minister . During

2133-621: The Lord Provost of Edinburgh multiple times between 1725 and 1764. Drummond was the grandson or great grandson of his namesake Sir George Drummond who had been Provost of Edinburgh 1683 to 1685 and who had resided on Anchor Close on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh . Drummond was born at Newton Castle in Blairgowrie , Perthshire . He was educated at the High School in Edinburgh and began his career as an accountant, working on

2212-538: The Royal Society of Edinburgh . Alexander Runciman (1736–1785) and his brother John Runciman (1744–1766) were painters. Their bronze plaque on the outer west wall of the church bears their heads, and was erected in 1866 by the Royal Scottish Academy near the then unmarked grave of Alexander. John died in Naples during his grand tour, and is buried there. John Mackenzie, Lord MacLeod (1727–1789),

2291-520: The session's request, the American evangelists, Ira D. Sankey and Dwight L. Moody , held a series of meetings in the church during their 1874 visit to Scotland. Despite the protests of the Canongate's session, the area of the parish was reduced in 1882, when the Old Kirk congregation, who had vacated St Giles' in 1869, erected a new church at the foot of St John Street. The Old Kirk congregation

2370-606: The visit to Scotland of George IV , the commissioners to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland met in the church before processing to meet the King at Holyroodhouse . Yet, during the 19th century, the church's connection with royalty appeared to be in decline. From the Reformation , the Crown served as one of the church's patrons ; but this connection ceased shortly after the Canongate lost its status as

2449-548: The 20th century, Grey Graham had described the Canongate as "the centre of dirt and poverty and squalor". Yet, from the 1950s, the area was sympathetically redeveloped, culminating in the opening of the Scottish Parliament Building in 2004; the presence of the University of Edinburgh in the area also increased. The church responded with the opening of Russell House in 1964 as student residences and

Canongate Kirkyard - Misplaced Pages Continue

2528-551: The Company are interred at this spot. John Frederick Lampe (1703–1751) was a composer, conductor and writer of hymn-tunes for Charles Wesley and others. His stone, just to the north of the Fettes tomb, is now badly eroded and for the most part illegible. At the base of the stone is a skull and two crossed bones, and at the top two figures hold a small book with some of his composition inscribed. The stone formerly read: "Here lye

2607-733: The Edinburgh Town Council in 1716. He raised funds to build the Royal Infirmary , designed by William Adam in 1738, which quickly became one of the world's foremost teaching hospitals. In 1760 he was responsible for commissioning the Royal Exchange, which later became the Edinburgh City Chambers . He was also a great promoter of the University of Edinburgh , encouraging its enlargement and establishing five professorships of medicine. Drummond

2686-441: The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland . Very Rev Thomas Wilkie (1645–1711) was the first minister of the Kirk and was twice Moderator – in 1701 and 1704. A long family tradition started in the 18th century with three generations of minister taking the ministry, all Rev. John Warden the family changed its name to Macfarlan in the later 18th century following a marriage. The most notable, Rev John Warden (Macfarlan) (1740–1788)

2765-486: The Human Mind (1792). His sealed tomb stands in the north section of the churchyard, notable as the only sealed tomb in the churchyard. The Dugald Stewart Monument erected to him on the south-west edge of Calton Hill is just out of sight from the tomb. Hugh William Williams (1773–1829), a watercolorist and landscape artist, was known as "Grecian Williams" for his foreign studies. It was allegedly Williams who coined

2844-554: The Kirk was able to be appreciated once more. The Kirk was further restored in 1991 by the Stewart Todd partnership, followed by the installation of a new Danish -built Frobenius pipe organ in 1998, in memory of the late Very Rev Dr Ronald Selby Wright. This was the 1000th organ to be built by the Frobenius company. A Royal Pew, as well as a Castle Pew, can be found in the front row of the church. The Canongate Churchyard

2923-570: The New Town and the first North Bridge (1763). John Gregory MD (1724–1773) and his son James Gregory MD (1753–1821) were from a long line of Gregorys from Aberdeen, eminent in both medicine and science. John was Professor of Medicine in Aberdeen from 1755 to 1766, and at Edinburgh University from 1766 until his death. James was a doctor and publisher, who succeeded his father in the chair of Medicine at Edinburgh University in 1776, and also had

3002-464: The Privy Council forbade its continuing use, such that the King might utilise the structure as a Chapel Royal. The congregation were instructed to use Lady Yester's Church while a new church was constructed. On 28 June 1687, James VII dispatched a letter from Windsor Castle to the Privy Council of Scotland with an order that Holyrood Abbey be repurposed as a Roman Catholic chapel for

3081-725: The Very Revd Lord MacLeod of Fuinary, founder of the Iona Community and Moderator in 1957) served as locum. Dr Selby Wright was succeeded as minister by the Reverend Charles Robertson LVO MA, who retired in 2005. The current minister (since 22 June 2006) is the Reverend Neil N. Gardner MA BD (who was previously minister at Alyth and an Army Chaplain in the Black Watch Regiment). The organist and Director of Music

3160-474: The abbey church as a Royal Chapel, and the general population worshipped in Lady Yester's Kirk (built in 1647) until 1691. Both of these sites formerly served as burial grounds to the parish. The new Canongate Kirk was founded in 1688 and completed in 1691. A large area of ground was purchased beyond that required for the erection of the church, and this appears to have been used for burial immediately from

3239-556: The above. Erected by the Edinburgh Walter Scott Club" The brothers were from a long-standing family of publishers in the Canongate. James, having moved to Edinburgh from Kelso in 1802, was the printer of the Waverley novels and these were first read in his house, prior to their printing. John, though partly to blame for Scott's loss of his fortune in the midst of his career, was a very dear friend to Scott, who

Canongate Kirkyard - Misplaced Pages Continue

3318-504: The acquisitions of an honourable life to the useful purpose of providing for the children of his less fortunate fellow countrymen the elegance of a sound and liberal education" George Chalmers (1773–1836) was a master plumber and founder of Chalmers Hospital, Edinburgh . He had lived at 208 Canongate. Mrs Agnes Maclehose (1759–1841) was born in Glasgow. She separated from her husband and subsequently befriended Robert Burns , carrying on

3397-416: The age of 22, supplementing his income by working as a clerk. His career was short-lived, and he died in the Edinburgh lunatic asylum, then called Darien House, on Bristo Street. Robert Burns was inspired to be a poet by reading Fergusson's work. It is likely that Burns left monies in his will to erect a monument in grateful memory, penning the inscription himself. After a visit to Edinburgh in 1787, Burns wrote

3476-497: The black and disgusting crimes, which by day and by night deform the sinning myriads of a populous and polluted city," By the mid-19th century, migration of Roman Catholics from Ireland had further changed the character of the Canongate. The Canongate's minister between 1845 and 1867, Andrew R. Bonar, calculated that, in the parish, there were 411 families, of whom only 45 were attached to any Reformed communion, 70 were Roman Catholics, and 296 were unconnected with any church. At

3555-682: The castle is detached from the rest of the parish. The wedding of Zara Phillips , the Queen's granddaughter, and former England rugby captain Mike Tindall took place at the church on 30 July 2011. The late Queen Elizabeth II used to attend services in the church on some of her frequent visits to Edinburgh. After the Reformation the congregation of the Canongate continued to use Holyrood Abbey for worship. However, in September 1672

3634-468: The castle within the section to the north of the churchyard. In 1952 the old Church Hall to the east, facing the Canongate, was demolished. This area was reformed as a sunken garden and the Burgh Cross, dating from 1128, was relocated here as a centre-piece, having formerly stood in the roadway in front of the church. The cross was restored in 1888, when it was moved from its temporary home in front of

3713-432: The church and probably destroyed the Canongate records, which had been organised and bound during the ministry of John Lee . When James McNair arrived as minister in minister in 1869, the church claimed 500 members and 200 communicants in a parish of 10 thousand. McNair oversaw a revival in the church's fortunes: four years after his arrival, membership had doubled and the number of communications had more than trebled. At

3792-404: The church was abolished in 1884. Andrew R. Bonar was presented to the first charge in 1849. Alongside John Marshall Lang and Robert Lee , he was a leader of the liturgical revival in 19th-century Scottish Presbyterianism . Bonar introduced hymn-singing and a choir to the Canongate Kirk; a pipe organ , one of the first in the Church of Scotland, was introduced in 1874. In 1863, fire damaged

3871-457: The church's foundation in 1688. This area is now fully occupied as a burial ground. Due to peculiarities in the parish boundaries, the parish also included some properties on the Nor Loch and, due to an ancient charter linking the castle to Holyrood , also Edinburgh Castle , which saw itself as separate from the parish of Edinburgh, under St Giles' . This led to many burials of soldiers from

3950-412: The council of Edinburgh's jurisdiction. Drummond was a strong opponent of Jacobitism , and fought against a Jacobite force commanded by John Erskine, Earl of Mar at the Battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715. He also raised a company of volunteers to try to defend the city of Edinburgh against a Jacobite army commanded by Charles Edward Stuart during the Jacobite rising of 1745 . Drummond first joined

4029-610: The decades-long draining of the insanitary Nor' Loch and identified the need for the North Bridge as the gateway of the New Town, laying its foundation stone in 1763. Drummond was also a Freemason . He was initiated into Freemasonry in The Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary's Chapel) No.1, in 1721 and in 1739 became the Founder Master of Lodge Drummond Kilwinning from Greenock (now dormant). He served as Grand Master Mason of

SECTION 50

#1732772086057

4108-508: The early 19th century, the construction of the Regent and London Roads had diverted the main thoroughfare into Edinburgh away from the burgh and many inhabitants had moved to the New Town . and Walter Buchanan, minister from 1789 to 1832, described his parish thus: "The stoutest heart may well be appalled in looking upon the dismal abounding of iniquity, the unveiled and unmitigated vileness,

4187-414: The end of their lives. A small bronze plaque on the base of the Fettes tomb marks their final resting place. It is inscribed: "Here in June 1821 Sir Walter Scott, Bart, stood by the open grave of his publisher and friend John Ballantyne (1774–1821) and said "I feel as if there would be less sunshine for me this day forth" And here too lies buried his friend and printer James Ballantyne (1772–1833) Brother of

4266-874: The financial details of the 1707 Act of Union at 18. In 1707 he was appointed Accountant General, at age 20, of the Board of Customs, being promoted to Commissioner in 1717. By the 1720s, the English were attempting to reform the Scottish taxation system, which resulted in public demonstrations during June 1725 against the enactment of the English malt tax in Scotland. During the malt tax riots in Glasgow , an apprentice named Andrew Millar ,directly challenged Drummond's authority by printing opposition material in Leith , outside

4345-563: The grassy sod That grows o’er the soldiers grave" Verses from the Biblical Epistles to Timothy are inscribed on the reverse. Architect Robert Hurd (1905–1963) was responsible for the partial redevelopment of the Canongate in the 1950s, and much other work throughout Edinburgh, including the Art Deco Ravelston Garden (1936). He was interred after the official closure of the churchyard to burials, and his

4424-547: The memory of the soldiers who died in Edinburgh Castle, situated in the parish of Canongate, interred herewith military honours from the year 1692 to 1880. "Death called them away from the martial ranks and sad was each comrade's tread as they bore them along to the march in Saul Midst crowds to their lonely bed But their country's sons will around this stone Oft speak of the deeds of the brave And gratefully look on

4503-489: The money. Suggestions for its use included a peal of bells for St Giles' , a tolbooth above the West Port , and a stipend for the minister of Lady Yester's. None of these proposals came to fruition and the mortification accumulated until John Paterson , bishop of Edinburgh procured a letter from the King ordering the mortification to be diverted towards constructing an episcopal palace and chapel. Yet, on 15 May 1688,

4582-476: The mortal remains of John Frederick Lampe whose harmonious composing shal out live Monumental register" Bishop Robert Keith (1681–1757) authored A History of the Church and State in Scotland from the Reformation to 1568 . Sir Thomas Calder (1682–1760), stone erected by his grandson Admiral Robert Calder . Professor Charles Alston (1683–1760), lecturer in Botany and Medicinal Plants at Edinburgh University,

4661-481: The mound for it hides a loved heart." Prof Very Rev Alexander Brunton (1772–1854), Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 1823. Professor of Hebrew and Oriental Languages at Edinburgh University . His wife, the author Mary Brunton (1778–1818) lies with him. James Clark (1732–1808) founded of the James Clark Vet School in Edinburgh. His monument was erected by "members of

4740-449: The murdered private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots , lies here, although it is highly unlikely that an Italian Catholic would be reinterred in a Protestant graveyard 120 years after his death. The Canongate was, until the 19th century, a separate parish from Edinburgh. This separate parish was formerly served by Holyrood Abbey at the foot of the Royal Mile, and Lady Yester's Church on High School Wynd. In 1687 King James VII adopted

4819-569: The newly founded Order of the Thistle . The repurposing of Holyrood Abbey necessitated the removal of the Church of Scotland congregation, who had used the nave of the abbey as a parish church since the Reformation . The Privy Council ordered the Town Council to hand over the keys of Holyrood Abbey and to accommodate the congregation in Lady Yester's until a new church could be built in

SECTION 60

#1732772086057

4898-457: The opening of Harry Younger Hall as a hall and gymnasium in 1967. Architecturally, the Kirk has a Dutch-style end gable and a curious, small doric-columned portico over the entrance. The end gable is topped with a golden cross inside a pair of antlers, the now obsolete coat of arms of the Canongate , first placed on the apex of the roof in 1824 and replaced by those from a stag shot at Balmoral by King George VI in 1949. The Kirk's interior has

4977-509: The same plot. Benjamin Bell was one of the few men to have declined a Baronetcy . He was related to Wiliam Paterson , the Scots founder of the Bank of England and was the great-grandfather of Joseph Bell , tutor to Arthur Conan Doyle , J. M. Barrie and Robert Louis Stevenson , and the inspiration for the character Sherlock Holmes . A small stone to the north of Bell's stone is of interest due to its unusual Greek inscription, taken from The Persians by Aeschylus and translated as "Dear

5056-418: The same role. From 1592 to 1867 Canongate was populous enough to merit a "second charge" who would give a later service within the same church: notable second charge ministers were: 55°57′07″N 3°10′47″W  /  55.9519°N 3.1796°W  / 55.9519; -3.1796 George Drummond (politician) George Drummond (1688 – 1766) was a Scottish politician and accountant who served as

5135-406: The son of George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie and like his father a Jacobite . He captured Dunrobin Castle in 1746 during the second Jacobite rising and was subsequently convicted of high treason, but pardoned in 1748. He went on to become a Swedish Count, and later a major-general in the British army. Adam Smith LLD (1723–1790), economist and author of The Wealth of Nations , founded

5214-400: The stone. The gravestone reads: "Here lies Robert Fergusson, Poet Born September 5th 1751 Died October 16th 1774 No sculptured marble here, nor pompous lay No storied urn, nor animated bust This simple stone directs pale Scotia's way To pour her sorrows o’er her poet's dust" The reverse is inscribed: "By special grant of the managers to Robert Burns, who erected this stone, This burial place

5293-444: The street in the New Town which was developed in the location where he had owned a country house in what is now Drummond Place Gardens and Drummond Street , next to the site occupied previously by the Royal Infirmary. His sister May Drummond became a Quaker minister and published a book of letters. His daughter Jean Drummond (d. 1766) married Reverend John Jardine in 1744, Jardine being "second charge" minister of Tron Kirk on

5372-414: The study of political economics. His house was very close by, at the head of Panmure Close, and it survived until 1889. He lived here from 1778 until his death in 1790, having moved from his native town of Kirkcaldy . The grave is a place of pilgrimage for economists of the world. Although an imposing railed monument, it may have been altered in the 1930s, as it was then described as "too small to notice". It

5451-401: The term "the modern Athens" in reference to Edinburgh, therefore his resting place, with Edinburgh's "Acropolis" ( Calton Hill ) standing to the right, is fittingly appropriate. Sir William Fettes (1750–1836), a former merchant on the High Street, served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh in the early 19th century. His bequests funded the building of Fettes College (opened 1870). The monument is

5530-413: The veterinary profession in Great Britain and America 1950". Luke Fraser (1736–1821) was a teacher of Sir Walter Scott at the Royal High School . Fraser said of Scott that he was "a good Latin scholar, and very worthy man." The grave of John Ballantyne (1774–1821), and his brother James Ballantyne (1772–1833), publishers and friends of Sir Walter Scott, has no headstone, reflecting their poverty at

5609-415: Was called "the Flower of Strathmore" by Robert Burns. She is interred in the ground of David Smyth of Methven. Sir John Watson Gordon R.A. (1788–1864) was a portrait artist, and a close friend and neighbour of Henry Raeburn . He exhibited from 1821, and was a member of the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) from 1829, exhibiting there from 1830. He was elected president to the RSA in 1850. His most famous work

5688-406: Was cemented on 25 June 1952, when the Queen visited the church during her first visit to Scotland as monarch. This was the first ever visit to the church by a reigning monarch and the Queen and other senior royals have since paid regular visits to the church for worship. On 30 July 2011, the church hosted the wedding of the Queen's granddaughter, Zara Phillips to Mike Tindall . At the turn of

5767-674: Was co-founder of the Edinburgh School of Medicine in 1726. George Drummond (1688–1766) was six times Lord Provost of Edinburgh , and the founder of Edinburgh New Town . He was responsible for the redevelopment of Edinburgh, founding the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary ; co-founding the Medical School; draining the Nor’ Loch ; founding the Royal Exchange in 1753; and most importantly, initiating and founding

5846-405: Was estimated at 34,000 merks. In 1741, George Whitfield preached in the church at the invitation of James Walker, the minister of the first charge. In 1748, Whitfield preached twice in the Canongate Kirk, accompanied by Ralph Erskine . In 1745, during the ministry of Hugh Blair , the army of Charles Edward Stuart occupied Edinburgh and the Canongate. The session meetings were disrupted and

5925-412: Was minister 1762 to 1788 and co-founded the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1783. Rev Hugh Blair was second charge from 1743 to 1753. During these early years ministries were shared due to demand. Concurrently with Rev John Warden (from 1764 to 1783) Rev William Lothian DD (1740–1783) was First Charge. The Rev. Robert Walker was minister from 1784 to 1808. He campaigned to end the slave trade and

6004-583: Was minister of Chalmers’ Memorial Church in Grage Road, Edinburgh from 1866. A red granite cross, 26-foot (7.9 m) commemorates the soldiers of Edinburgh Castle . It was erected in May 1880, by Mr Ford of the Holyrood Glass Works, and inaugurated in the presence of General Hope and the 71st Highlanders . The dead lie in the wide open green area all around the cross, which is inscribed: "To

6083-579: Was succeeded by Ronald Selby Wright in 1937. The same year, George VI gave the church a Christmas tree from Balmoral : the monarch has given a Christmas tree to the Canongate Kirk every year since. At the church's 250th anniversary in 1938, Wright announced plans to renovate the church. These plans were interrupted by the Second World War . During the War, Wright served as a military chaplain. Locum ministers and their assistants were provided from

6162-630: Was the most recent interment, other than ashes. Canongate Kirk The Kirk of the Canongate , or Canongate Kirk , serves the Parish of Canongate in Edinburgh 's Old Town , in Scotland . It is a congregation of the Church of Scotland . The parish includes the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament . It is also the parish church of Edinburgh Castle , even though

6241-505: Was transported to Pilton in 1940 and the historic parish of the Canongate was restored. McNair died in 1888 and was succeeded the following year by Thomas White, who ministered in the Canongate until his demission in 1936. White's ministry encompassed the First World War , during which, every available man on the Canongate signed up and 90 members of the congregation lost their lives. White died shortly after his demission and

#56943