Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye terrier, was owned by John Gray, a policeman in the Grassmaret between the kirk (church) and Edinburgh Castle.

     Bobby’s master died of tuberculosis in 1858 and for fourteen years this loyal wee dog kept vigil, spending much of each day sitting on his master’s grave in Greyfriars Kirkyard.  The story reached a critical point when dog license were introduced as an attempt to deal with the many stray animals that roamed the town.  Any dog without an owner would be destroyed.  But there was such affection for this loyal dog that the Lord Provost of the City, William Chambers, saved Bobby by purchasing a license for him at the last minute.  The terrier thus escaped a terrible fate.

     A fine statue of Bobby was funded by the philanthropist Baroness Burdett Coutts and created by William Brodie in 1872, the year Bobby died.  It sits outside the churchyard at the end of George IV Bridge.

 

     A second memorial to Bobby has been erected by the Dog Aid Society of Scotland and was unveiled by the Duke of Gloucester in 1980.  You see the red granite stone as your enter the churchyard and it has become something of a shrine to Bobby as people place sticks in front of his grave to this day.

 

     Greyfriars Kirk, is a Church of Scotland congregation and they worship in the Presbyterian tradition.

     We were warmly welcomed by members of the congregation, worshipped to hymn tunes that we knew and loved, heard a wonderful sermon on joy based on (1 Thessalonians 5:1-26), and spoke with church members and staff over tea and cookies after the service.

     The church is very beautiful.  At the back is a pipe organ decorated with natural wood carvings, and you can see John Gray and his dog Bobby in two of the carvings.

     We were told that the ceiling of the church is adorned with California Redwood!  It is strikingly beautiful but must also contribute to the wonderful accoustics in the church.

 

     We met the Minister, Richard Frazer and his wife, after the service.  Richard had revenly walked the Camino Santiago and had been in Israel working among Palistinian communities.  He is writing a book on the theme of Pilgrimage that I look forward to reading.

     Even through we couldn’t be with all our friends at Good Shepherd on Sunday, it was wonderful to be in a community of faith that felt like home. What a blessing to be welcomed as brothers and sisters in Christ and share in worship together!