Message from the skies 2018 - Chapter 12 - Val McDermid - New Year's Resurrection
Message from the skies 2018
Chapter 12 of Val McDermid's New Year's Resurrection
Greyfriars Kirkyard
Greyfriars Kirkyard has a rich and dark history.
In 1679, it was used to imprison hundreds of Covenanters, who opposed interference by the Stuart kings in the affairs of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. This period of history has influenced many writers, including Walter Scott.
It is also the burial place of John Porteous, Captain of the City Guard, who was killed by a mob in 1736, following a riot which broke out over the execution of a smuggler. The Porteous Riots form the backdrop to Scott’s novel The Heart of Midlothian.
The more heart-warming story of a stray dog which lived in the Kirkyard became a local legend and then something of an international success. Eleanor Atkinson’s book Greyfriars Bobby mythologised the tale of a faithful Skye terrier who returned again and again to his dead master’s grave. A statue of Greyfriars Bobby, just outside the Kirkyard, is a popular attraction.
Two characters in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series also owe their names to the graves of a certain William McGonagall (Professor McGonagall) and a Thomas Riddell Esq. (Lord Voldemort).
As well as being a worshipping congregation of the Church of Scotland, Greyfriars Kirk is a venue for concerts, a tourist destination and through the Grassmarket Community Project supports some of the city’s most vulnerable citizens. Greyfriars Kirkyard is also open to the public.