Edinburgh, Candlemaker Row, Greyfriars Church, Churchyard, Covenanters' Prison

NT27SE 354.03 25635 73164

(Name: NT 2564 7316) Prison of the Covenanters (NR) (AD. 1679)

OS 1:500 plan, (1895)

Some 1184 captive Covenanters were interned after the Battle of Bothwell Bridge in 1679. They were put into a field inside the Telfer Wall, later absorbed into the churchyard. (A pictorial map of 1647 by Gordon of Rothiemay shows that the field occupied the area now bounded by Greyfriars' Churchyard to the N, Bristo Place to the E, Teviot Place and Lauriston Place to the S, and the wall down the E side of the grounds of George Heriot's Hospital School on the W.)

H E Maxwell 1916; RCAHMS 1951; Information from Gordon of Rothiemay's map, dated 1647.

A notice of the graveyard gate states briefly: "Covenanters' Prison"; now part of the burial ground. No further information was obtained. Visited by OS (J L D) 25 December 1953.

Area depicted as 'New Burying Ground' on Alexander Kincaid's map of 1784.

INVENTORY OF GRAVEYARD AND CEMETERY SITES IN SCOTLAND REFERENCE:

N.B. This reference applies collectively to NT27SE 354.01, NT27SE 354.03, NT27SE 354.05

Address: Greyfriars Church and Churchyard and Churchyard Extensions, Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh

Postcode: EH1 2QE

Status: Closed for burials but maintained

Size: Churchyard: 1.71 hectares, 4.22 acres; Churchyard extension (354.03): 0.19 hectares, 0.46 acres; Churchyard extension (354.05): 0.27 hectares, 0.68 acres

Polygon: No

TOIDs:

Number of gravestones: 590

Earliest gravestone: c1616

Most recent gravestone: c1900

Description: Burial ground associated with a church

Data Sources: OS MasterMap checked 15 September 2005; Bereavement Services Portal checked 15 September 2005; Graveyard Recording Form dated 31 October 2003