Memorial to Bobby

Baroness Angela Georgia Burdett-Coutts commissioned a granite fountain with the statue of Bobby placed on top. The bronze was sculptured from life, by Wm Brodie RSA, in 1870.

It was to be sited on the pavement near the Kirkyard at the top of Candlemaker Row as a lasting memory of Bobby, the little Skye terrier that had become a legend by that time.

Donated by Baroness Angela Georgia Burdett-Coutts to the city of Edinburgh, the fountain and statue was unveiled, without ceremony, on Saturday morning, 15th November 1873.

In the 1950’s, due to hygiene regulation, the water to the drinking troughs has been turned off.

The original sculpture, together with an Engraved Collar from the Lord Provost Sir William Chambers, Bobby’s Dinner Dish from John Traill and photographs can be seen in The Museum of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile.

The inscription which can still be seen, reads: “A tribute to the affectionate fidelity of Greyfriars Bobby. In 1858 this faithful dog followed the remains of his master to Greyfriars Churchyard and lingered near the spot until his death in 1872, with permission erected by Baroness Burdett-Coutts.”

Queen Victoria also visited Bobby in the Kirkyard.

Bobbys monument, commissioned by Baroness Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts November 1873