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Dancing Skeletons & the Black Mausoleum · The Grim: Haunted Cemeteries & Graveyard Tales

0:09
Good morning and welcome to the grim.
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I'm your host, Kristen, on today's episode, we'll be opening the gate and entering Greyfriars Kirk yard.
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Located in Edinburg Scotland.
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So grab your favorite mug cozy up and let's take a dig into history.
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Last week I promised you listeners a fantastic graveyard after episode 11, took a very different path on the grim.
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We're back.
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And this week's a gate opening is quite the famous in Gothic architecture, but also in the paranormal community.
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Opening gray fires gate was quite an internal struggle for me.
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As the history of this graveyard is as lengthy as its years in age, but also Ferring.
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I might not be able to do it justice.
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Before we do.
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It's also a good for listeners to know Kirkus Scottish for church.
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Use the wrap this episode, thus a Kirk yard is a churchyard or a graveyard as many know it by and now in clearing that up, we can begin.
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First established in 16, 20 next to the gray fires, Kirk from oil sanction.
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Gray fires was to replace the Kirk yard.
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It's.
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and Edinburg for those unfamiliar, with St.
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Giles' and the city of Edinburg it's located near the heart of the city.
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Making it that the ideal Kirk yard, for many reasons, the Royal decree is stated because it is thought beneficial that there should be no more burials within the church icing Giles'.
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And because that Kirk yard is not thought to have sufficient room for bearing the dead and taking into consideration the smell and the heat of summer, it would be provided by the council that a burial place much further from the middle of town, such as gray fires yard, and the same should be built up and made secure.
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The number of souls entered within is unknown from mass graves, forgotten grave sites, and also the commissioner's prison on the grounds.
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The gray fires, Kurt guard gets his name for the Franciscan friary from the church who's friars or grave ropes.
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The friary was dissolved around 1558 ish.
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But in the name buried in tradition, stayed.
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History, unbeknownst to this hollow ground was about to occur.
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In 1638, the national covenant and the Kirk yard started with thousands of Scottish men pledged to resist the changes imposed by Charles the first.
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Charles and his father, James has six oversaw church organization and the doctrine, something followers of the covenant disagreed with, they believe themselves to have a covenant or an agreement with God within their faith, following the Presbyterian structure and the primacy of the church leaders in religious affairs.
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Effectively starting one of the three wars of the three kingdoms or better known as the British civil wars.
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This signing in the Kirkwood was a huge milestone in Scottish history.
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Even later in 1838 in oil painting by William Allen, president of the Royal Scottish cademy and master of the trustee, his academy was created to market significance.
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This painting now hangs in the city art center in Edinburg.
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After the signing, the Covenanters took control of the Scottish government, eventually leading to events that cause Scotland to become part of the British Commonwealth.
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I'm painfully and obviously cutting out many huge other parts within these years, that led up to Scotland's addition.
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But this way lays into huge historical events away from Greyfriars Kirk.
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That I suggest listeners look into on their own.
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It's extremely hard to cut out easily.
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Just gray bars, Kirk yards history.
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As much of it was involved within many major historical events in Scotland, but also the world at the time.
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I feel Scottish history is often overlooked by British in history classes.
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Sadly.
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But the country had so much influence on partake in historical events it's something that makes Scotland quite the unicorn in history, fittingly, similar to other national animal.
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Back to the Covenanters in Greyfriars, Kirk, Herod years later, after the signing in the 1679, saw the defeat of the militant Covenanters at brothel brig.
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By this timeframe, the Scottish army was defeated in a failed attempt to invade England and Charles the first had been executed back in 1649.
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Just to give you a wide idea of the significant events.
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Around 1200 Covenanters were taken prisoner after the defeat, in the battle of broth.
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Well, Bragg in June and left imprisoned in a field just south of the Kirk yard.
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This area of the Kirk yard is now known as co-funders prison.
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Money were left for several months in the area until they were finally transported to the colonies in November.
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Being a prisoner back in these times led many to be severely abused, to be malnutritioned or led to death.
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And many of those in charge just didn't care.
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Each prisoner was allowed to just four ounces of bread a day with no shelter.
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Conditions were so inhumane that the Covenanters prison is often described as the world's first concentration camp.
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Sometimes citizens were kind enough to give them more food, but rarely anyone who fought her sided with the commentors were recognized as rebels or traders, leaning into a repression called the killing time in Coventry history.
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This led to some dying in the field, others were put on trial, then executed for treason.
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And yet others were set free.
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If they agree to sign a bond of loyalty to the crown.
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All those who were persecuted in died for the support of the national covenant during these tragic times are commemorated by the martyrs and Memorial on the north Eastern wall of the Kirk yard.
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When within the ground today Covenanters present, which has acclimated into the Kirk in the 18 century.
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Now has vaulted tombs.
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These didn't exist nor were established when the grounds were used as a prison.
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The volted tombs are now known as enclosed burial layers.
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And used to deter against grave robbery.
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They can easily be spotted, characterized by solid stone walls or iron graylings served as protective burials for the resting places of the deceased.
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Gray fires like many other Kirk guards during its time in the 18th century.
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Dealt with issues of grave robbery.
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In the 19th century, the Kirkhart use a technique that featured two low iron cages over the graves.
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They released to the family to safeguard the bodies from grave robbers to ensure the sanctity at the deceased.
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Notice Mort saves after the body past the time, useful to grave rappers, they were then removed from reused again.
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This technique is famously photographed, and occasionally makes its rounds on social media from time to time.
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Being misled for many as a form of vampire hunting or other wildly various theories.
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Helping visitors to know the full history of the grounds.
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There's a plaque in the graveyard explaining to visitors where the covenant prison section name comes from.
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And a small tidbit of its history.
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The prison was open to the public total around 1990, when it was locked by the city of Edinburgh council.
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No sadly, due to vandalism and drug users.
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Finding refuge and the tombs.
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That area's now only accessible during the day by special arrangement with the guides of the gray fryer Kirk or at night with a ghost tour.
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Gravers can often claim hauntings, but not many upholder Geist.
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Great fair Kirk yard, however can, and has located on the left-hand wall, other Greyfriars Kirk Creek yard.
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When you enter from the main gates.
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Lysa black Mazda, LAN and interred within is surcharge McKenzie of Rose House.
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Sir McKenzie was a lawyer and Lord advocate during the rule of Charles the second and quickly earned a reputation as more of the most vicious prosecutors of the Covenanters.
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His brutal and callous take to our protestors was legendary and had them imprisoned in gray, fryers.
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His reputation eventually earned him the name bloody Mackenzie from allowing guards to beat and torture prisoners much to his own delight.
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Many subjects after being tortured, had their heads placed up on a spiked gate, letting all see their grin fate and what might become above others.
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Oddly enough, his interment angry fires within the black Missou, Liam famously is not just for his cruelty in life, but also his actions in the afterlife, many visitors prior to the black Muslim being locked, experienced Poltergeist activity.
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And even after.
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Now, before we go into the activity experienced, I think you listeners, if you don't need to know the difference between a ghost and a Poltergeist, Most commonly a ghost as a soul or a specter of a person who's passed on, usually the believed in habit, another world and capable of returning and the some form to the world, a living.
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We're upholder guy says a disembodied spirit or supernatural force credited with certain malicious or disturbing phenomenon.
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But Kenzie and death even seems to attempt to torture his festers in delight near or within the black Mazda Liam.
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That's why the activities surrounding and in the black Mazda, Liam has rightly been called a poltergeists.
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Accounts reported at being pushed, scratched, and feeling nauseous to the point of passing out have occurred.
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Tour guide Yon.
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Andrew Henderson came forward saying 49 visitors on his ghost tour of the Covenanters prison.
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Over the course of eight months had some sort of paranormal experience that occurred during their walking tour.
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Experiencing the feeling of being watched, touched and cuts or scratches to their faces.
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One visit Arbus.
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He was quoted saying it felt as though there was a hand over my mouth.
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I couldn't see anything.
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She said then when I started to feel faint and the next thing I knew I was away sitting on the ground.
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Everyone was asking if I was outright, but I was really confused the next morning I woke up with a bruise on my left cheek and my neck.
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I couldn't believe it as I wasn't aware of hurting myself.
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When I fainted, I started feeling as though it must've been something to do with a ghost.
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There's also a tale of a school boy who hate inside the black muzzle Liam.
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One night to avoid a beating from a master at George Harris school and came out in the sane after encountering, whatever might be within.
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Uh, swirling rumors of what has been nicknamed the McKenzie Poltergeist and its activity caught the attention of Collin grant.
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Uh, minister of a spiritualist church and the owner of a clairvoyant shop on St.
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Mary street in Edinburg.
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And November of 1999, grant armed with a candle cross to ward off evil entities and a Bible decided Gravers needed an exorcism.
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Accompanied by the local press grant claimed he finally cast out the evil spirits trapped within the Kirk yard for centuries.
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The ritual wasn't without an appearance though, of what perhaps most believe is bloody Mackenzie behind grant near the end of the ritual, a dark shape was witnessed gliding across a window in the Kirk.
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Even though it was locked and no one was inside.
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Turning many of the non-believing press into believers very quickly.
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Grants efforts though, seem to be in vain.
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As tome months later, more reports of activity were made.
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Around the same timeframe in January grant expressed fears, his work might just kill him.
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And sadly on the 26th, he passed away during a sands and his clairvoyant shop have a heart attack.
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Whether a Grant's death was a result of the exorcism or from natural causes.
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Is up to the listener to decide.
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In the course of history of the Poltergeist activity, it took a drastic increase around 1998.
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When a homeless man took shelter in the black Mazda land, he ended up meddling with one of the coffins in the tomb, causing the floor to give way and collapsed beneath him into an ancient lake pit below.
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Many paranormal experts believe this event, disturbed McKenzie Leading into his and welcoming attacks on visitors.
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In 2003, two teams decided to try their luck robbing Mackenzie's tomb of his skull.
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But were discovered by a ghost to her on the grounds.
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The boys were copling soccer with a skull and charged with a ancient law of the violation of a supple Kerr.
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Meaning to disturb a dead person, which can be punishable by life imprisonment.
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The judge handling the case, described it as revolting.
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But the boys were convicted and given probation rather than a one-way ticket to Australia, as many grave robbers in the past were at the very least around 350 people have claimed to have been attacked by Mackenzie's various spirit with more likely to come.
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Marquis this site where hundreds were beheaded or buried near the Grassmarket stands, the martyrs Memorial commemorating around 18,000 Covenanters who died for their beliefs.
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Purple ethical tradition.
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Most were beheaded.
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And then their heads placed on spikes.
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Usually on the gates in the Edinburg.
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One of the most popular gates was another barrel gate.
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The no longer stands on the top of Canada gate in the city.
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If they weren't placed on the gate, some had their head arms or other body parts sent home to send a message to others who might show interest in resisting the King's.
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Well, This Memorial reminds visitors of the killing time and the tragedy, some went through further believe, sadly in history.
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An absolutely gorgeous Gothic Memorial and one that will haunt its visitors afterward in beauty and tragedy.
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If you weren't paying attention or maybe not a Harry Potter fan, some gravestone inscriptions and the gray fairs might be familiar to many.
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The names of Potter black, Tom riddle, moody Crookshanks and McGonigal.
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All from JK Rowling's.
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Harry Potter are all permanent residents.
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The care cared, served as an inspiration for her characters names in the novel, and also Godrick hollow.
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When you enter turn right after entering the gates and look toward the left side in the grass area.
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This is the area that you'll find the tombstone of Ann and Robert Potter.
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The inspiration for Harry Potter's last name.
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McGonigal who professor McGonigal's name?
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Inspiration.
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I was iconically one of the worst poets in Scottish history.
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And originally was buried in a poppers on March grave.
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In 1999 and inscribed slab was later installed.
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Bearing his name.
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Alongside mitts famously interred.
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When hearing the legends of gray fires, it's a must to include gray fires, Bobbie.
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Uh, statue at the corner of Edinburgh's candle maker, row and George, the forest bridge, commemorate the adorable pup.
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The famous legend about this guy, terrier is known by almost all in Scotland and beyond.
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Poppy was looked after by a local policemen, John Gray for the last two years of his life.
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Upon John Gray's death.
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He was in turning gray for hours and Bobby guarded his gray for 14 years.
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Capturing the heart of Lord provost, William Chambers, who commissioned Bobby statue.
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He would bring the pub food and anything else he needed at Gray's a grave throughout Scotland.
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Bobby's story is famous and even Disney worthy.
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When in 1961, they released the film Greyfriars, Bobby, the true story of a dog.
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When he eventually passed away, Bobby was buried just inside the gate of gray fires.
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Kirk yard, not far from John Grey's grave, his dog collar Kemi now found in the museum of Edinburg.
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His headstone was erected by the dog aid society in 1981 and receives many visitors far and wide.
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Claims of hearing to somebody barking and sightings of a small ghost-like dog and Greyfriars is believed to be Bobby.
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Even in the afterlife, protecting John Gray.
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Many of Scotland's most beautiful Meryl monuments are located within Greyfriars, Richmond symbolism.
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They depict themes of mortality and mortality.
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Including death's head the angel of resurrection and the king of terrors.
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The tombs, voltage and gravestones features, skulls and dancing, skeletons known as memento Mori in Latin.
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Meaning, remember you will die.
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Adding what some might consider morbid or McCobb imagery to the grounds.
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But it was intentional in the timeframe to remind those left behind that life is fleeting and that other worldly vanities aren't important.
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European Reno, Latin scholar, George Buchanan has a large and beautiful Memorial on the grounds.
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But his grave site is unknown.
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Who was one time in prison by the inquisition spending two years of his incarceration, translating the bombs of David and a Latin.
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Buchanan was the first to apply the term Celtic to his native Gaelic culture.
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Thus linking the pre Roman and happenings of the iron H Britain to the Celts of Europe.
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Upon his return to Scotland in 1561, he embraced the reformed religion and tutored Mary queen of Scots, whom he denounced after the murder of her husband Darnley, then in 1567 was appointed the first lay moderator of the general assembly of the church of Scotland.
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The Canon in 1570, once again became a tutor to four year old James, the sixth becoming and trusted to give the young king, a Protestant education effectively turning him against his mother's ideas of rule by divine.
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Right.
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The cannon died in 1582 and is considered one of the most profound intellectual 16 century Scottish minds.
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Now, some of the dates are a little confusing to some of you listeners.
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I too was a little confused.
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I began double checking dates and wondering where I went wrong as they don't seem to add up with barrels within and when the Kirk was established, but it didn't.
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Prior to Greyfriars actual establishment.
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The land of the friary past into possession of Mary queen of Scots in 1560, who subsequently granted it to the town council.
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For the use as a burial ground later, bordered by the famous flooding wall.
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Thus allowing burials prior to its establishment and clearing my confusion.
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The church adjacent to the current guard was to be the first post reformation church built in Edinburg.
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The bill, however was extremely slow and the Kirk didn't open till Christmas day in 16, 20.
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15 years, 16, 20 sounds familiar to Americans.
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It should.
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It's the same timeframe.
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The pilgrims landed in the Pillowman colony and the Eastern end of the Kirk and American flag sits that was previously flown at the white house after the 350 celebration of both historical events, the American consultant Annenberg, percented this flag to the Kirk as a gift.
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When visiting visitors notice on the outside more than the inside, the Kirk appears to have a double porch on the north side of the building.
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The Kirk originally had two churches that had separate entrances for each separate congregation.
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Robin and Savits old past double congregation life and the religious battles of faith yeah, this isn't the only reason for the double entrance, but from it's accident, waiting to happen scenario in 17, 18.
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For some reason, the town council decided to use a small squat tower to store its gun power.
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And of course I blew up.
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The west end of the Kirk was completely ruined and had a new west wall rebuilt and two bays into the church.
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It also experienced a fire in 1845, destroying the furnishings of the new Greyfriars.
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Today visitors can see traces of the fire damage still on the Eastern part of the church.
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It's minister, Robert Lee D D use the fire to completely change the church and its ways.
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Bring it to the modern age of religion.
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The church before was bland, had no hymns and no standing during the mass and nothing other worldly.
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The restoration had the windows made at the Lancet and stained glass.
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The first at Eddie Scottish parish church, since the reformation.
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The stained glass and the gray fairs is mid-Victorian and was installed as a permit Memorial to the people who in their day occupied prominent positions in the church.
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The large east window to picks the parables of the project goal sun.
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The good Samaritan.
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The pair reas and the publican and the wise and Foolish Virgin.
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It became open art and beauty within repairer.
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hymns were then sung during mass giving it a urethra feel.
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Leah saw backlash of course from officials, but after a few years, his new implementations became the normal for every Kirk.
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Visitors the day say the interior that was restored between 1931 and 1938.
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Where the two churches were combined, arcades were restored and the ceiling of the California Redwood was rebuilt over the six bays of the original church.
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The west end of the church, how has a magnificent Peter Collins, Oregon built in 1990 to replace the Hamilton organ that originally sat in the Northwest corner.
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Is 3,400 pipes.
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So the Latin motto inscribed from the last verse of Psalm one 50, let everything that has breath.
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Praise the Lord is breathtaking.
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The Kirkhart is wrapped by Edinburg's famous flatter wall.
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The ball began at the south side of the castle running south across the west end of the grass market.
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Where the Westport was located and continued uphill across the ventral while I was historically speaking, helped control who were went, went in and out.
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Aided battles and provided safety to major cities in 1513, the Scottish and British fought at the battle of Flodden with a heavy defeat and king James was killed in battle.
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Making many expect and imminent invasion, thus the flawed and wolves constructed in Edinburg and is now an historical landmark in the city.
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Great powers, partaken history.
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Wasn't essential on pivotal crossing into escapes as a journey into time.
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And yet, you know, you're in the present.
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It's dark turbulent, and yet beautifully human.
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So many buried within over historical significance.
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I haven't mentioned yet either James Craig architect, a new town poet, Alan Ramsey, Walter Scott, father of sir Walter Scott, George Halliburton, Bishop of Dunkeld and Adam Anderson physicists are just to name a few.
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I sadly, can't give you every single one's history or this podcast episode might well run over two hours.
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Yeah, places like gray fires are essential to history and the resonance memories remembered.
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People who stood up for the beliefs changed history and how even religion was practiced.
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And during a learning how essential their sacrifices to history for what we take granted today can be humbling.
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Knowing inspiration for even one soul can transform lives from stories worldwide.
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From one place like Ray fryers is invaluable for history.
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I hope if you ever make it across the pond, or if you live closer plan a journey to enter Greyfriars gates.
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The grave grind for Greyfriars.
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Kirk yard was a child latte from Cohen and sons and Edinburg.
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For more honorary grinds, please visit the-grim.com.
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For now we're closing the gate on gray fires, Kirk yard.
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I hope you enjoyed our dig into history.
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If you did subscribe today to join us next time, when we open the gate on the grin.