MI for Greyfriar's Kirkyard Edinburgh

[Moray_Lass]

Hi
Does anyone have a list of the MI for Greyfriar's? Wikipedia has listed as a notable burial a 4xG in-law of mine. I have a photo of his gravestone in Perth, where he died. I'd just like to clear up the mystery of if there is/isn't one in Edinburgh. If there is it might mention where my 4xG Aunt was buried, she died in Fochabers, Moray in 1844.

I will nip in and take a photo when I am next down if there is one, and for anyone else who needs a photo in there.

The person I am looking for is Major General William Farquhar, (c.1770–1839)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyfriars_Kirkyard

[Currie]

Hello Maggie,

I suspect that whoever wrote the Wiki is getting their Greyfriars confused.

This book, published in 1867, about Greyfriars claims “This present volume contains a complete record of all the Monumental Inscriptions which exist in Greyfriars Churchyard, one of the chief cemeteries of Edinburgh.” A quick search doesn’t bring up the General. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=15E ... &q&f=false

I’ve been Googling, and what I’ve found is that the General is buried in the Old Greyfriars Cemetery in Perth. What he has there I’ve seen described as the "most splendid mausoleum", or as a tomb, or as a gravestone. I thought that a mausoleum was a sort of free-standing burial chamber that could be easily opened by means of a door or something and that could be reused.

Here’s a description of his “elaborate tomb” in the Old Greyfriars Cemetery in Perth. http://www.postcolonialweb.org/singapor ... chew6.html and here’s an interesting page in case you haven’t seen it. http://heritagesingapore.files.wordpres ... -talk2.pdf

The newspapers weren’t any help. Sometimes a death report mentions burial. Perhaps Perthshire papers would have more information. All that was in the Caledonian Mercury, Thursday, February 1, 1844, was: "At Fochabers, on the 21st ultimo, Mrs Margaret Loban, widow of Major-General William Farquhar, H.E.I.C.S.”

Here’s a photo of the inscription. I imagine that if his daughter is there, his wife, unless there’s evidence to the contrary, would probably be entombed there as well. What year did the daughter die, obviously before he did? http://www.photographersdirect.com/buye ... id=2212478

Hope that’s of some use,
Alan

[Moray_Lass]

Thanks Alan

That book is just what I was looking for.

I suspected that it was a confusion over Greyfriar's, but someone raised it recently, and I just wanted to rule out the possiblity of two monuments. There is allot of activity surrounding William Farquhar with an exhibition in Singapore recently. It was one of his Singapore descendants who sent me the photo of the Perth tomb you have found, and it was one of Margaret Loban's descendants that raised the Edinburgh question. The daughter died in infancy years earlier. I suspect it will be a trip down to Perth at some point to look at their burial records to settle where she was buried. I have two Moray paper obits, neither say any more than the Caledonian Mercury, and the burial records here for that period are lost. But ruling out a second monument in Edinburgh helps.

[Currie]

That’s ok Maggie,

He’s a very interesting fellow. It looks like he’s getting a lot more press in Singapore than he got locally. I saw some items for him on the Singapore newspaper site. If you haven’t seen them the older ones are probably viewable online. http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Searc ... ,weeklysun

All the best,
Alan

[Moray_Lass]

Thanks Alan

Interesting reading is right

[bleckie]

Hi Maggie
Perth Burial Register 1794-1855 are available to search on line

http://www.pkc.gov.uk/Education+and+lea ... isters.htm

Yours Aye
BruceL

[Moray_Lass]

Thanks Bruce!

That is very handy... I can see what I'll be doing tonight

[Moray_Lass]

I have just been looking on the Perth Burial Records and I am not finding William Farquhar (d1839) or his daughter Margaret Amelia (d1830) and I know they are buried there, as I have a photo. That is through both a search and manually browsing the list. Is the list complete or a still being up dated, does anyone know?

[bleckie]

Hi Maggie

If you PM me with your email address I will send pics
I had a spare half hour today and went to Greyfriars.
Reading the inscription on the tombI don't think William Farquhar is burried in the musoleum as the only person it refers to is his
Daughter.

Yours Aye
BruceL

[trish1]

Hi Maggie

There are a couple of references to Major William Farquhar in newspaper index cards at the AK Bell library
One being as late as 1990 - "Major William - founder of Singapore buried in Greyfriars" - Perthshire Advertiser 1990 Aug 14 page 16
also the original death notice P Courier 16 May 1839 page 3 - died 11 may 1839

Trish