Mark Hatton

Lord Monboddo Greyfriars Kirkyard Edinburgh

Weird in Scotland but Famous in Germany

29/09/202608/10/2026 Mark Hatton

Lord Monboddo is buried in this lair in The Covenanters Prison area of the Kirkyard. Today he is not a well known figure in Scottish history, despite some notable accomplishments, yet he is still celebrated in Germany. So why is this ?

James Burnett, Lord Monboddo (1714 – 1799) was a Scottish judge, scholar of linguistic evolution and a philosopher who was a great host at dinner parties. Regarded as a very clever eccentric in his day, he was well liked & admired by a wide circle of friends.

Monboddo thought that clothes were unnatural and undesirable for both mind and body and believed that Nudism was good for you. He “awaked every morning at four, and then for his health got up and walked in his room naked, with the window open, which he called taking an air bath.” Such behaviour marked him as a rather odd eccentric in Scotland but in Germany it earned him a reputation as a pioneer of nudism. When nudism became very fashionable in Germany Monboddo was celebrated and in 1913 a Monboddo Club was established in Berlin for the harmonious culture of body and mind.

It might be a coincidence but the heraldic shield over the door of his burial lair includes a figure of a near-naked wildman!

Christian Shaw Greyfriars Kirkyard Edinburgh

Articles, History, People

The Child Who Accused Witches

29/09/2026 Mark Hatton

This photo shows where we believe Christian Shaw was buried at Greyfriars Kirkyard in September 1737. As an adult, she was a successful business woman who is credited with founding the Renfrewshire thread industry, introducing the spinning of fine linen thread to Scotland and the development of her own “Bagarran Thread”. The Bargarran Thread was, by the 1720s, seen to be a mark of quality in thread, and was advertised as the product of “Lady Bargarran and her Daughters”.

Shaw married Rev John Miller, the minister of Kilmaurs in September 1718. After his death in 1721 she returned to the family thread business, travelling with her mother to Holland, where both women observed Dutch spinning techniques. Shaw sketched the thread production process that she saw, and is said to have smuggled some of the necessary machinery back to Scotland in her luggage. The new production methods she introduced to Scotland resulted in a more durable & whiter thread.

But the period of Christian’s life that makes her infamous today was when she was only 11 years old in 1697. Shaw accused over 20 people of witchcraft, 7 of whom were later hanged then burned. The executed included: Katherine Campbell, Agnes Naismith, Margaret Lang, Margaret Fulton, John Lindsay of Barloch (who was a tenant farmer of the Shaws), John Lindsay and his brother James Lindsay.

Accounts of the trials reported that Shaw had been “bewitched” by the suspects and was exhibiting behaviours including flying and “vomiting coal and bent pins”.

An alternative account suggests that Shaw had taken a dislike to a servant, Katherine Campbell, and intentionally pretended that Katherine had bewitched her and caused her to have seizures and pull balls of hair from her mouth. This, it is alleged, was just so the unfortunate servant would be prosecuted and executed for witchcraft. Christian Shaw’s testimony to the Court then grew wilder and wider, resulting in the torture and brutal execution of dozens of people, including 2 young boys.

Articles, History, Symbolism

Death Heads of the Covenanters’ Prison

29/09/2026 Mark Hatton

The burial lairs inside the Southern Greyfriars Yard (aka The Covenanters Prison) often have pairs of Death Heads facing each other on either side. These generally have a bone below and a banner above with messages in Latin that translate to sayings such as “Today me, tomorrow you”, “Live remembering death”, “Hope for the next life” and “Remember you will die”. Here are 9 pairs.

Friends of Greyfriars Kirkyard Doors Open Days

Previous Events

The Covenanters’ Prison Greyfriars Kirkyard Doors Open Days 2026

28/09/202628/09/2026 Mark Hatton

On Saturday 26th September we had over 2,000 visitors to the Covenanters Prison, delivered 7 full tours and answered countless questions. Thanks to Liz for being the head organiser, Alison, Ann and Stu for leading tours, Tom, Laura, Sam, Billy, Paul & Lesley for volunteering throughout.

Sunday 27th September was a rather wet day, thankfully the grass stood up well to the number of visitors and will soon dry out and bounce back.

Over the weekend we counted 3,548 people through these gates, many of whom were Edinburgh residents. Lots of them said how pleased they were to have this opportunity to visit a place they had long desired to see.

We delivered 14 full guided tours, answered countless questions about the Kirkyard, inspired dozens of people to join our group and sold well over £500 worth of guidebooks. But the key thing is that 3,548 people enjoyed visiting it, learning about it and now better appreciate the history, artistry and value of this rather magical place.

Friends of Greyfriars Kirkyard Edinburgh September

Events, Previous Events

Friends of Greyfriars Kirkyard First Sunday September 2026

06/09/202608/09/2026 Mark Hatton

A good turnout today saw us Litter Picking, Gravel Gathering, Fence Fixing, Sign Shining, Buddleia Bashing, Seat Washing & Mud Larking. With the gravel washed away by the August Monsoon returned to its proper location, the muddy soil that had spread on to the path returned to the flower bed, the bird poop washed off the seats & signs, the Buddleia removed from the south wall, the fence posts along the edge of McGonagal restored to an upright position and all remaining litter picked and put in the bins. The result is a nice and tidy, clean, welcoming & happy kirkyard. Many thanks to all of the old and new members who came along to help today !

Friends of Greyfriars Kirkyard Edinburgh

Previous Events

Friends of Greyfriars Kirkyard First Sunday August 2026

02/08/202628/08/2026 Mark Hatton

The Summer surge is now in full swing, with the Kirkyard looking like crowds attending a football match at times today. This volume of visitors brings a tsunami of litter with it. So it was a particularly good start to the day today with a mammoth load of litter, rubbish and assorted nasties leaving the Kirkyard after a big clean up effort over the last 24 hours. Paul Cunningham was definitely the star for the shear volume and weight of rubbish he lifted today.

In slightly less positive news the downpour of rain midweek washed a lot of mud & gravel down the Yard, which has once again clogged the gutter above the bottom steps and coated the Grassmarket steps in mud, particularly foul smelling mud at the bottom where the drain is still blocked. Tom was once again the star man for cleaning up the bottom section and the steps, but non of us could face clearing the gutter again. One bit of progress has been the complete clearance of buddleia and ivy from the George Heriot tomb, aided by a resident of Candlemaker Row who has leant out of their window to cut back the ivy that we couldn’t reach.

We had another good turnout today, but in all of the work I forgot to take a group photo. Our next First Sunday is on the 6th September.

Articles, History, Other

Ghost Marks at Greyfriars Kirkyard

23/07/202603/08/2026 Mark Hatton

The recent drought is revealing where the walls around the burial lairs used to be. As the grass dehydrates and the ground shrinks back, the areas with shallow soil above buried hidden old stone walls brown off earlier than the rest of the grass. This reveals the ghosts of the old walls. Once the rain returns the grass will green, the earth will swell and these marks will disappear again, until the next drought.

Bannatyne Monument Repairs Greyfriars Kirkyard Edinburgh

Articles, Conservation, People

Bannatyne Repair at Greyfriars Kirkyard

10/07/202623/07/2026 Mark Hatton

The cracks that were threatening the integrity and symbolism of the Bannatyne Monument have been repaired. Nic Boyes, a highly skilled and experienced stone conservator, set about the task by injecting a paraloid in to the cracks, then applying resin. This will hopefully ensure that this wondrous example of 17th century symbolism is preserved for future generations to admire and marvel at.

Stone Conservation Students watched on to learn the techniques being used. Mark & Kev from the Edinburgh Bereavement Services erected the platform and took the opportunity to remove the buddleia and privet that was growing on the monument. Thanks to Susan at Edinburgh World Heritage for organising and funding the conservation work. It is fantastic to see this monument cherished like this.

Articles, History

Greyfriars Kirkyard Buddleia Harvest

07/07/202622/07/2026 Mark Hatton

So today we shifted a huge amount of Buddleia from the tops of the west walls around the Kirkyard. The priority was to remove the flower heads before they set seed and further spread this very invasive plant into every nook & cranny. Whilst Buddleia might look pretty, it causes a lot of damage to the stonework and obscures the view of the monuments. We find that extendable loppers are a safe and effective way to cut back the buddleia without the danger of using chemicals, the risk of using ladders or the cost of using a cherry picker. It isn’t perfect, but it certainly is better than letting the buddleia take over. Thanks to Paul, Paul, Paul and Tom for putting in a hell of a shift today.

Previous Events

Friends of Greyfriars Kirkyard First Sunday July 2026

05/07/202628/08/2026 Mark Hatton

Great to see some new youthful faces at today’s First Sunday (despite the damp weather). We had a good go at removing the Buddleia from the monuments along the East Wall and picked up all of the fallen branches from the recent high winds. Plus a thorough litterpick. We then had a Geek session looking at Marriage related stories around the Kirkyard, in preparation for a wedding party tour soon. A very productive and enjoyable afternoon, many thanks to everyone who came along and grafted today.