Greyfriars Bobby. Greyfriars Bobby was a Skye Terrier who became known in 19th-century Edinburgh for supposedly spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner until he died himself on 14 January 1872.
The story continues to be well known as active oral history in Edinburgh, through several books and films, and became a prominent commemorative statue and nearby graves act as a tourist attraction. Traditional view[edit] Bobby is said to have sat by the grave for 14 years.[1][2][3][4] He died in 1872[3][4] and was buried just inside the gate of Greyfriars Kirkyard, not far from John Gray's grave.[2] A year later, Lady Burdett-Coutts had a statue and fountain erected at the southern end of the George IV Bridge to commemorate him.[4] Alternative views[edit] Questions about the story's accuracy are also not new. Jan Bondeson's book advances the view that fundamental facts about the dog and its loyalty are wrong. Parallels[edit] Greyfriars Bobby - Home. Greyfriar's Bobby. According to the commonly accepted story, Bobby was a Skye Terrier dog belonging to a Jock Gray, a farmer from the Pentland Hills, who regularly dined at an inn in Grassmarket, not far from Greyfriar's Churchyard.
When Jock Gray, died in 1858, the dog refused to leave his master's grave. He turned up regularly for 14 years at the inn at Grassmarket which had been frequented by his master and was fed there by locals who were taken by the dog's devotion. The story may have been embellished by John Traill, the owner of the restaurant. Other versions suggest that the dog belonged to a local policeman and that while the dog was frequently found in the churchyard, it was also looked after by residents in the houses in nearby Candlemaker's Row, including Colour Sergeant Donald MacNab Scott, serving in the Royal Engineers Survey Company and Royal Artillery priming the 1 o’clock time gun.
Overview of Greyfriars' Bobby. The memorial to Greyfriars' Bobby lies on the sharp junction of George IV Bridge and Candlemaker Row in Edinburgh, opposite the entrance to Greyfriars' Kirk.
This Skye terrier dog was owned by John Gray, an unemployed gardener who became an Edinburgh policeman. When Gray died in 1858, he was buried in Greyfriars' Kirkyard. The story of Greyfriars Bobby. In 1850 a gardener called John Gray, together with his wife Jess and son John, arrived in Edinburgh.
Unable to find work as a gardener he avoided the workhouse by joining the Edinburgh Police Force as a night watchman. To keep him company through the long winter nights John took on a partner, a diminutive Skye Terrier, his ‘watchdog’ called Bobby. Together John and Bobby became a familiar sight trudging through the old cobbled streets of Edinburgh.
Through thick and thin, winter and summer, they were faithful friends. The years on the streets appear to have taken their toll on John, as he was treated by the Police Surgeon for tuberculosis. Greyfriars Bobby honoured with new pipe tune - Arts. A NEW pipe tune devoted to Scotland’s most famous dog was unveiled at his final resting place. • Guard of honour to be provided at Greyfriars Kirk by local army cadets as major ceremonial event to be staged • Statue of Bobby situated just outside the Kirk draws thousands of tourists, having been unveiled in 1873.
Edinburgh Greyfriars Bobby. Anyone who is a dog lover (like me!)
Cannot fail to be moved by the story of Edinburgh's Greyfriars Bobby, and no visit to Edinburgh would be complete without at least hearing his story. In nineteenth century Edinburgh lived a nightwatchman named John Gray who worked for the city police and whose faithful companion, Bobby, was a Skye terrier. He probably looked a lot like this fellow.. The two of them were constant companions, Bobby accompanying him on his rounds every night. Sadly the nightwatchman contracted tuberculosis and died, leaving Bobby alone in the world. Famous Dogs in History : The Story of Greyfriars Bobby. Famous Dogs in History : The Story of Greyfriars Bobby 'Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all' The subject of not one but two movies, including a Walt Disney production, the story of Greyfriars Bobby has entertained people all over the world.
His statue in Edinburgh on the King George IV Bridge is a magnet for tourists and their cameras. Greyfriars Bobby tale is wrong claims Cardiff historian. 5 August 2011Last updated at 10:46 ET Greyfriars Bobby kept vigil at his master's grave but new evidence suggests the story may have been a fake to attract tourists For around 150 years, tourists to Edinburgh have taken time out of their trip to visit the bronze statue of Greyfriars Bobby, the Skye Terrier reputed to have kept a 14 year vigil at his master's graveside.
But now a historian at Cardiff University believes he has uncovered evidence that the legend is nothing but a shaggy dog tale. Dr Jan Bondeson looked into Bobby as part of the five-year research for his book, Amazing Dogs, which also looked at Nazi research into what they believed to be super-intelligent canines. However, Bobby's life story revealed itself to be so murky, that Dr Bondeson decided to devote a separate book to debunking the myths. The legend of Greyfriars Bobby really is a myth.
Greyfriars Bobby hoax: Dog who kept vigil over his master's grave 'a publicity stunt' By Daily Mail Reporter Updated: 07:11 GMT, 4 August 2011 For more than a century, he has been seen as the epitome of man’s best friend, known for loyally refusing to leave his master’s graveside for 14 years.
Now, however, it appears the heartwarming tale of Greyfriars Bobby the Skye terrier was a Victorian hoax cooked up by money-grabbing businessmen, an academic has revealed. Dr Jan Bondeson has uncovered evidence that there were in fact two Bobbies from 1858 to 1872 – and that neither of them belonged to the man buried in Greyfriars cemetery, Edinburgh, whose grave they sat by. Good story nonetheless: A still from the 1961 Disney film Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story Of A Dog - just one of the films made about the legend of the cemetery-dwelling Skye terrier.
Greyfriars Bobby (1855 - 1872. Greyfriar's Bobby Statue - Edinburgh - Landmarks. Edinburgh Museums - Edinburgh Museums. Edinburgh-Royal Mile-Gretfriar's Bobby. Bobby was a little Skye Terrier dog owned by John Gray (or 'Auld Jock' as he was known to locals) Bobby was so loyal to his master that when Auld Jock died of tubeculosis on 15th February in 1858 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Greyfriar's Kirkyard, Bobby kept a daily vigil and lay over his masters grave for 14 years until his own death on 14th January 1872.
Bobby became such a popular sight that people would come from all over the country to wait at the gates for the One O' Clock Gun to be fired, Bobby's signal to temporarily leave his post to be fed by locals. Originally a Gardener, John Gray came to Edinburgh in the early 1800's with his wife Jess and his son also named John. Due to the harsh winter weather there was little work for a garderner and so John Gray joined The Edinburgh Police as constable No.90 where he was required to get a watch dog. There began a devoted partnership that lasted 14 years after his death and has been imortalised in Scottish History. Greyfriars Bobby Statue. Greyfriars Bobby Memorial Reviews - Edinburgh, Scotland Attractions. Greyfriars Bobby's Bar in Candlemaker Row Edinburgh - Home. Welcome to Greyfriars Bobby's Bar You will find Greyfriars Bobby's Bar in Candlemaker Row Edinburgh within a short stroll of Chambers Street, Grassmarket and George IV Bridge - however you won't find another like it.
Step in to discover a traditional pub of unique character, revered for its eclectic range of real ales and its quality pub food, which are served, as they should be, with a generous measure of famous British hospitality. Greyfriars Bobby's Bar: Edinburgh Pub Guide: Undiscovered Scotland. Greyfriars Bobby's Bar lies at the south end of Candlemaker Row, where it joins George IV Bridge and opposite the National Museum of Scotland. Greyfriars Bobby (2005. Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog (1961.