Actual Education Interactive Guided Tours - Edinburgh Tours, York Tours, Chester Tours and more!

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-Greyfriars' infamous Covenanters' Prison-_
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Covenanters' Prison

In this tour you get a chance to explore the area known as the Covenanters' Prison, an area of the Kirkyard which is usually off-limits to the general public. This Greyfriars tour takes you into the heart of an area which is thought to be one of the most haunted places in Scotland...and into the tragic story of the Covenanters.

The Covenanters were a group who will forever be associated with Greyfriars Kirk and Kirkyard. The National Covenant was basically a petition to King Charles I to give up his attempt to change the Church of Scotland. King Charles was the head of the Church of England but not the Church of Scotland and his attempts at introducing Episcopalianism in Scotland resulted in thousands of Scots signing the National Covenant, a democratic attempt to disuade Charles from meddling in their religion.

So what are the links between Greyfriars Kirkyard and the Covenanters? The first National Covenant was signed in the Kirk (not the Kirkyard as some paintings would have you believe). The Martyr's Monument sits in Greyfriars and in front of it are buried some Covenanters who were tortured and hanged for their committment to the cause. And finally, at the end of the Covenanting story, we have the infamous and apparently haunted Covenanters's Prison. This tour takes into the 'Prison' as we look at the story of those who paid the ultimate price...

The Covenanters Prison is generally off-limits to the public unless you are part of one of the popular Greyfriars Kirkyard ghost tours. This is also one of the least understood parts of the whole burial ground. The true story is revealed here and you're given access to most of this area - including the tomb dubbed the 'Black Mausoleum' by the best of the Greyfriars ghost tours! We've already visited the tomb of Sir George Mackenzie, dubbed 'Bluidy Mackenzie'.

This Greyfriars Kirkyard tour does focus on the story of the Covenanters, their defeat at the Battle of Bothwell Brig and the aftermath which involved torture, execution and incredible sacrifice. It is this history which has gained incredible notoriety for Greyfriars, but the Covenanters Prison has many other secrets...

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-Learn more about this tour-
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We're so glad you want to learn more about this exciting software! The following links will let you learn more about this innovative Interactive Guided Tour.

We're glad you survived the Covenanters Prison! We hope you enjoyed it and that you learned of some of the real history behind this often misunderstood part of Greyfriars Kirkard.

Go back to the Greyfriars Kirkyard tour main page.

You can try a scene from the Greyfriars Kirkyard Guided Tour.

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-Screenshot Gallery-
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James Hutton, dubbed the 'father of modern geology' lies buried in the Covenanters' Prison area of Greyfriars.

The Covenanters' Prison is usually closed to the public but it is open for us to explore. We discover the tragic story of the Covenanter prisoners captured after the Battle of Bothwell Brig.

We even take you inside the tomb which has been called 'the black mausoleum'. For anyone with a love for ghost stories, this is believed to be one of the most haunted places in the UK, but there is so much more to the Covenanters' Prison than just this!

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