Adam, William b. 1689 d. June 24, 1748 Architect, Entrepreneur. Born near Kirkcaldy, Scotland, the son of a builder-architect, he inherited a legacy from previous noted Scottish architects Sir William Bruce and James Smith, and rose to be considered the most prominent architect in Scotland during his lifetime. Developing a Baroque style after which he disseminated through his large practice, he was popular and well connected, being patronized by Enlightenment figure John Clerk, for whom he built Mavisbank(1723). His entrepreneurial...[Read More] (Bio by: JK Gillon) Greyfriars Church, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, Scotland
Buchanan, George b. February, 1506 d. September 29, 1582 Scholar, poet, author, and humanist. Born in Stirlingshire, Scotland, one of eight children of a small farmer who died when George was 7, leaving the family in poverty. George received a grammar school education before being sent by his uncle to study at the University of Paris when he was 14. Returning to Scotland, he served as a soldier and continued his education at the University of Edinburgh until 1526, when he began teaching in Paris. He returned again to Scotland in 1537 and served as...[Read More] (Bio by: VampireRed) Greyfriars Church, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, Scotland
Gray, John d. February 8, 1858 Folk Figure. Little of his history is known. He apparently arrived in the Greyfriars district in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1850 at about the age of forty where he settled with his wife and son. A gardener by trade, there was no work for him in the city so he joined the Edinburgh Police Force as Constable Number 90 Warrant Number 1487, serving as a night watchman. In 1856, he acquired a watch dog in the form of a Skye Terrier whom he called [Read More] (Bio by: Iola) Greyfriars Church, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, Scotland
Greyfriars Bobby b. 1855 d. January 14, 1872 Scotland Folk Dog. This little black Skye Terrier best illustrates the extent a dog will go to show his friendship, uncommon loyalty, affection and devotion to his master. Edinburgh policeman, John Gray, acquired a stray black terrier to serve as a watch dog, a condition of his employment. The dog was given the name 'Bobby' a term often used to refer to a policeman in the UK. Man and dog became inseparable until Gray died of tuberculous. A funeral procession to the gravesite at Greyfriar...[Read More] (Bio by: Donald Greyfield) Greyfriars Church, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, Scotland
McGonagall, William Topaz b. 1830 d. September 2, 1902 Author. The son of an immigrant Irish weaver, he spent some of his childhood on the island of South Ronaldsay in the Orkneys, settled with his family in Dundee at the age of 11, and became a handloom weaver with his father. In 1846 he married Jean King. He did some acting at Dundee's Royal Theatre, and in 1878 published his first collection of poems, including "Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay". From then on he traveled in central Scotland, giving readings and selling his poetry in broadsheets...[Read More] (Bio by: JK Gillon) Greyfriars Church, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, Scotland
Ramsay, Allan b. 1685 d. 1758 English Poet. Born in Leadhills, Lanarkshire. His father was manager of Lord Hopetoun's mines there, and his mother, Alice Bower, was the daughter of a Derbyshire mining expert. In 1704 he was apprenticed for five years to a wigmaker in Edinburgh. By 1718 he had become known as a poet, having issued several short humorous satires printed as broadsides. He had also written (l7l6-18) two additional cantos to the old Scots poem of "Christ's Kirk on the Green" that were cheerful pictures of rustic...[Read More] (Bio by: JK Gillon) Greyfriars Church, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, Scotland
b. 1689 d. June 24, 1748