Greyfriars Bobby: Loyal Graveyard Guardian

In this episode Annie and Jenny tell one more tale from Greyfriars Kirkyard. It’s a story of a very good boy, Greyfriars Bobby. Perhaps one of the most famous dogs in the world, the story of Greyfriars Bobby took Victorian Scotland by storm. But despite his story carrying through the decades, inspiring many books, and even a Disney film, what do we really know about the little Skye Terrier? For there are many questions that swirl around this tale of the ages: Just what is the original story of Bobby? Who was his owner? How did he end up in Greyfriars kirkyard? Why did he stay? And perhaps most importantly, did he ever even exist? Let’s travel back to Victorian Scotland to find out. 

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References:

Jan Bondeson, Greyfriars Bobby, the Most Famous Dog in the World, 2012 

Thomas Wilson Reid, Gabrielle Stuart: A Scottish Romance, 1882

Reporting from Glasgow Evening Citizen (1867), Dundee Courier (1867), Inverness Courier (1864, 1867), Aberdeen Press and Journal (1867), Scotsman (1872)