Greyfriars Bobby – the Faithful Edinburgh Dog
Every Edinburgh Tourist Should Visit Bobby's Grave
Jul 19, 2009
Like most great city, Edinburgh has statues of its most famous citizens, but Edinburgh's most famous statue is unusual in that the best-loved 'citizen' is a dog. Bobby's statue can be found outside Greyfriars Bobby's Bar, a pub reputed to be associated with the dog's story. In Greyfriar's church graveyard, a plaque in his memory at his grave site just inside the gates.
Who was Greyfriars Bobby?
Bobby was a Skye terrier, a breed renowned for their tenacity and courage. He belonged to an Edinburgh man whose identity has been the subject of much argument. Nevertheless, all stories agree on one point: after his master's death, Bobby spent the rest of his 14 years camped by (some accounts say 'on') his master's grave. He would leave to get food, usually begging at the nearby pub, where he became an identity, and then would return. In truth,m he may have slept elsewhere on cold winter nights, but that can't spoil this remarkable story of faithfulness.
Who was Bobby's Owner?
Readers familiar with the 1961 Walt Disney movie are treated to the version made popular by US Victorian era author Eleanor Atkinson, who heard the legend and turned it into a sentimental story that became very popular. Eleanor had never been to Scotland but, like any good author, made great use of Edinburgh and the Scottish countryside to create a setting for her story. She chose to make Bobby's owner a hired farmhand or shepherd, Auld Jock, who is fired by his boss. The story revealed that his formal name was John Gray. This may well have been true.
In 1990, Forbes MacGregor published an answer to Atkinson entitled Greyfriars Bobby – the Real Story at Last. MacGregor's research in the Edinburgh archives determined that Bobby's master was John Gray, known universally as Auld Jock, but rather than a shepherd, he was a local policeman. According to MacGregor, Gray was given a dwelling near his beat near the Cowgate, and like other members of the Edinburgh police force, was given a watchdog. That was Bobby's role. This version of the story has been perpetrated in the 2006 re-make of the movie The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby, starring Christopher Lee and Oliver Golding.
According to Betty Kirkpatrick, in her miniature book Greyfriars Bobby – the Legend of the Little Scottish Dog, yet another version exists. In 1999, engineer James Gilhooley also researched Bobby's story and believes that both Atkinson and MacGregor are wrong. This third John Gray died within a few days of MacGegor's John Gray but was a farmer from Skirling who had rented a room in Bristo Place when he brought produce to market.
Did Bobby Exist at All?It seems certain that Bobby was a real dog and was a local identity, renowned for his faithful actions. The local pubkeeper, charged with the responsibility of paying for an expensive dog licence, refused because he didn't own the dog but kindly fed him. He was concerned, nevertheless, for Bobby's welfare once treated as a stray, and appealed to the Lord Provost to save him.
The Lord Provost, Sir William Chambers, was, according to Betty Kirkpatrick, a known dog lover, who happily paid the licence fee himself and presented Bobby with a collar inscribed: 'Grayfriars Bobby from the Lord Provost 1867, licensed.Grayfriars Bobby's Death Notice
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Further proof of his existence is the fact that, on Bobby's death in January 1872, the famous Edinburgh newspaper The Scotsman carried a notice of his death, aged 16.
In 1881, no lesser personage than the Duke of Gloucester unveiled a plaque on Bobby's grave, a tribute from the Dog Aid Society of Scotland.
This is one of the top Edinburgh attractions and visitors can see the plaque on entering the gates of Greyfriars Kirkyard in the Old Town. They can also see the statue and have a drink in the bar where Bobby reputedly got his lunch.
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