The Graveyards and Cemeteries of Edinburgh

by Charlotte Golledge

In medieval Edinburgh, the dead were buried in the city’s churchyards, with internment in the church reserved for the wealthy, but in the post-Reformation years both rich and poor were buried in the grounds of the churches. By the 19th century the city center churchyards were overcrowded and new outer town cemeteries created, no longer controlled by the town but by independent cemetery companies. In this book, local historian Charlotte Golledge takes readers on a tour through the history of Edinburgh’s burial grounds. She covers the individual history of the graveyards of St Giles, St Cuthbert’s, Holyrood, Greyfriars, Canongate, Old Calton, New Calton, Buccleuch, St John’s, and Morningside, and the later Dean, Dalry, The Grange, Morningside, Rosebank, Newington, Warriston, and the Jewish cemeteries. The story includes the notable events, burials, and grave markers at each burial ground as well as the changes in how the people of Edinburgh buried their dead and mourned their loved ones over the years as the new profession of the undertakers took over the role of the church for the new cemeteries. She also unearths evidence of the lost burial grounds of Edinburgh that have been moved, built over, or rediscovered. This fascinating portrait of life and death in Edinburgh over the centuries will appeal to both residents and visitors to the Scottish capital.

Genres: Nonfiction, Scotland

96 pages, Paperback

Published February 15, 2020

Reviews

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlotte Golledge’s The Graveyards and Cemeteries of Edinburgh shows “just how many of Edinburgh’s dead had contributed to the modern world. The dead are not simply our past; they are also our present and future.” The author takes a tremendous task attempting to cover the graveyards and cemeteries in and around Edinburgh. She begins with St. Cuthbert’s Kirkyard which opened in the 7th c and ends with The Grange which opened in 1847. As one can understand, the time period is massive. St. Cuthbert’s Kirk (Church)has an amazing story all its own, but its kirkyard (church yard) as other kirkyards in Edinburgh eventually became so overcrowded and unhealthy that a new solution to burying the dead had to be found. Answer: the garden cemetery. In 1842 a competition was held to decide who would design this new cemetery. Winner: David Cousin. Warriston Cemetery opened in 1842. It had also been decided that a company would own the cemetery. The new Edinburgh Cemetery Company bought 9 acres where Warriston Cemetery would be built. All of these graveyards and cemeteries became the final home for many famous people. Striking funeral art such as the sculpture of a praying boy dressed in a nightgown who guards the grave of “little Sheffield Gordon Hutton” truly touches one’s heart. Located on Old Calton Burial Grounds is an American Civil War Memorial in memory of the Scottish-American soldiers with a sculpture of Abraham Lincoln on the top and a sculpture of a freed slave near President Lincoln’s feet. The freed man has a book in his hand showing that he is not only free but educated. One of Lincoln’s favorite poets, William Knox-brother to John Knox, is buried in New Calton Burial Grounds and the following inscription is engraved on his obelisk.
The poem entitled Mortality by William Knox is engraved in letters of gold on the walls
of the Imperial Palace at St. Petersburg. It is also the favourite poem of Abraham Lincoln,
who repeated verses from it on the day of his assassination.
‘Tis the twink of an eye, ‘‘tis the draught of a breath,
From the blossom of health to the paleness of death,
From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud,
O’ why should the spirit of mortal be proud.
Is it any wonder I find cemeteries fascinating! 5 stars!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been seeing this book and Charlotte’s first book advertised and as I love wandering around cemeteries and reminiscing, I was looking forward to getting these. I got both of them for my birthday, as I had been putting off getting them, due to the prices.

Both books are only 95 pages long - and that’s including an index of graveyards, a bibliography and acknowledgements. So to be paying upward of £13-15 (at the time of writing) for these is a bit much.

Looking at this one first, I was glad to see that this had a lot of colour photographs to accompany the text. It’s a large format paperback, and the pages are glossy within. It won’t take long to read, as each section about each graveyard is relatively brief and gets even more so the more pages you turn. I think more detail is given to most of the central/well known/larger cemeteries, and are concentrated more at the beginning of the book. Obviously, there is a brief part about Greyfriars, due to the fact that she has a single book dedicated to her “favourite cemetery”.

I have visited some of the cemeteries that Charlotte references and have enjoyed seeing what gravestones/highlights she has picked out from each one. I fear that she has been limited to the amount that she could write by her publisher or someone, as both books are exactly 95 pages long. I would have gladly read a 200 page book, or bought the individual books about each cemetery. I feel that she has had to hold back on quite a lot, whereas if she’d had more freedom, she could have gone into more detail about each graveyard and maybe picked out on more notable gravestones. I do appreciate the amount of time and research that has gone into this, but there’s a lengthier book just crying out to be written, with the same quality that appears here.

I wouldn’t say Edinburgh cemeteries are an awfully crowded market to write about (although Jan-Andrew Henderson seems to write quite a few books, and his Black Markers book is listed in the selected bibliography) but I hope Charlotte continues down this path, and is giving the freedom to write more, without being chained to 95 pages. It is a stunning book, and it still is recommended, despite the brevity of the book

[Shona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and interesting glimpse into Edinburgh's past through some of the notable grave in its cemeteries. Could've done with a wee map to help triangulate where each one was but I just kept Google Maps to hand for reference as I was reading.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating glimpse into some of Edinburgh's cemeteries, highlighting a few of the notables buried within, and describing the more interesting features. The text is accompanied by clear, sharp photos. It is a rather slim volume, however, and this constrains the number of entries and descriptions that can be made. At the end is a comprehensive list of Edinburgh cemeteries, inviting the interested reader to investigate further. I intend to!

[Jacob O'Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book. I read in one lockdown evening. Good to learn more about these places I often visit but know little about. A map for each entry would have been welcome, but otherwise can’t fault it. I await another volume with the other cemeteries not featured here 🤞

[Michelle Beattie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating history told through the graveyards and cemeteries of Edinburgh, excellent book

[John Boyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but rather a lot of proofing errors and could be better written.

[Mairi Byatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to catch up with all my family at Piershill Cemetery

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being both an active member of the Outlander fandom, and an avid walker in cemeteries has it's perks sometimes, and it certainly did when I got chatting to fellow Outlander fan - and Men In Kilts death historian herself - Charlotte Golledge, who wrote this book.

She kindly sent me a personalised signed copy when I told her of my interest in cemeteries and graveyards, and how I'd been around Greyfriars in Edinburgh more than once - which is one of her favourite stomping grounds and gets a sizeable mention in this book.

If you have any interest in the subject then you will find this book absolutely fascinating, and even if you only have a passing interest, or are more keen on history, Charlotte's book is chock full of interesting facts about the cemeteries themselves, notable people who are buried there, and other awesome tidbits about historical Edinburgh landmarks and locations.

Well worth a read!