Edinburgh
City of Edinburgh Scotland
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Cemetery notes and/or description:
Old Calton Cemetery (also called Old Calton Burial Ground) is a graveyard in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located on Calton Hill, to the north-east of the city centre. The burial ground was opened in 1718, and is the resting place of several notable Edinburgh persons, including philosopher David Hume, publisher William Blackwood and clergyman Dr Robert Candlish. It is also the site of the Political Martyrs' Monument, an obelisk erected to the memory of a number of political reformers. The burial ground was altered following the construction of Waterloo Place in 1819, which divided the graveyard into two sections. Along with Edinburgh's other graveyards, Old Calton is managed by City of Edinburgh Council. The cemetery and its monuments are protected as a category A listed building. One of the many interesting features of the cemetery is a statue,erected in 1893, which depicts Abraham Lincoln, with a freed slave giving thanks at his feet. A bronze shield bears the old US flag, and is wreathed in thistles to the left, and cotton to the right. Two regimental flags lay furled, the battle being over. The black man holds a book, indicating that he is not only free, he is also now educated. This was the first statue to an American President in any country outside of the USA. It is the only monument to the American Civil War outside the USA. It was erected at American expense to honour a small group of Scots (only one of whom, William Duff, is buried under the monument, the rest being nearby) to whom it felt indebted, and wished their graves to be marked.They had all fought for the Union (the North) in the American Civil War. The inscription, "To preserve the jewel of liberty in the framework of Freedom" is a quotation from the writings of Abraham Lincoln. It was the widow of Sgt Major MacEwan who originally initiated the request by writing a letter of complaint to the United States government.(text by Geoffrey Gillon) |
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