Greyfriars Tolbooth & Highland Kirk

The Kirkyard, dedicated on Christmas Day 1620, stands on the site of a 15th-century Franciscan Friary. It has a fine collection of 17th-century Scottish monuments and a rich musical tradition. You can also view the National Covenant, adopted and signed here in 1638. There are many fascinating tales and ghost stories connected with this historic church. 1400 covenanters were imprisoned in the Kirkyard in 1679 for their beliefs, a sorry fact remembered by the martyrs' monument. Furthermore, there is the famous memorial to Greyfriar's Bobby, the devoted Skye Terrier owned by John Gray, a local police constable. When Gray died in 1858, Bobby loyally sat watch over his master's grave in this Kirkyard for 14 years, until he himself died. Services include the only weekly Gaelic worship in this part of the country. Recitals and concerts are also staged throughout the year.