Harry Potter, Edinburgh and the search for the real Lord Voldemort

While for countless others, the 17th century kirkyard’s moss-covered stones, eerie atmosphere, exotic carvings and elaborate mausoleums - plus its links to the famous Skye terrier Greyfriars Bobby - have made it one of the Capital’s most visited sites. 

However, it’s emerged some visitors may have received far more of a spine-tingling experience at the ancient kirkyard than others.

The toll of tens of thousands of pairs of feet, soil erosion and climate change are said to be causing what’s underfoot to take flight. And as centuries of soil shifts, some have encountered rather more of its 500,000 or so underground residents than they may have hoped for.

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Too many visitors straying off the kirkyard’s more stable paths onto soft ground are being blamed for bones from long dead occupants “popping through”. 

The alarming issue is said to have led to emergency repairs to tackle problem areas. 

However, the worsening impact of climate change and the growing popularity of the kirkyard for tour groups and Potter enthusiasts means there are lingering concerns that more will have to be done to avoid the chilling sight of more of Greyfriars’ inhabitants. 

The startling issue emerged as a three-year project aimed at uncovering the kirkyard’s secrets reaches its conclusion. 

As well as shedding new light on the meanings and origins behind some of its most exotic and sometimes grisly carvings, the project has uncovered previously unknown details of its dearly departed occupants’ lives, including that of Capt Tom ‘Voldemort’ Riddell. 

The newly discovered information surrounding his links with colonialism and slavery, including a meeting with controversial Endeavour explorer Captain James Cook and marriage to the daughter of a Jamaican plantation owner, will be used to create teaching materials to help bring the topics to life for children raised on the Harry Potter tales. 

The Making Lasting Impressions Project, run by Edinburgh World Heritage, also used laser scanning and photogrammetry technology to create 3D models of seven from the kirkyard’s 40 plus 17th century monument most intriguing monuments. 

The images allow the structures to be viewed from all angles and provides a unique perspective on the ageing stones, carvings and features.

As a result, researchers have been able to unravel meanings behind certain carvings and linked particular emblems to certain stonemasons, helping to reveal more about knowledge and life in the 17th century.

However, the work has also shone a magnifying glass on the extent of damage the Category A listed monuments have suffered, and the work required to protect their futures.

Read more: Harry Potter, buried treasure and the battle to save ancient forest

One memorial alone, an elaborate Roman-style temple and statue in honour of writer to the signet, John Bayne of Pitcairlie, is said to need around £200,000 of work. 

The remarkable structure, with ceiling carved with two angels and panels carved with skulls and cross-bones, has been damaged by the roots of invasive buddleia plants, and been plagued by litter and graffiti.

There are now plans to launch a fundraising campaign to cover the costs of the work.

The kirkyard, overlooked by The Elephant House cafe where Rowling is said to have written parts of Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone, attracts an estimated 700,000 visitors every year, many of them searching for names linked to the Potter books. 

As well as Thomas Riddell, who died in November 1806 aged 72, the cemetery is the final resting place for ‘worst poet’ William McGonigall – a Professor McGonigall also features in the wizarding tales - a family called ‘Potter’, and historic figures from Edinburgh life including printer and Encyclopaedia Britannica writer William Smellie, geologist James Hutton and Scottish architects William Adam and John Adam.

Tom Riddell's grave in Greyfriars

Poet Allan Ramsay, New Town architect James Craig and Sir Walter Scott's father, Walter Scott, are also buried there, along with policeman John Gray, whose loyal dog, Greyfriar’s Bobby, kept vigil at his grave for 14 years. The Skye Terrier is buried just outside the gates. 

The National Covenant, which demanded changes in how Scotland was governed, was signed in the kirkyard in 1638, while part of it was used as a prison for Covenanters defeated by government forces at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge in 1679.

One of its bleakest mausoleums holds the remains of Bloody MacKenzie, who rounded up the 1,200 Presbyterian Covenanters and is said to have killed nearly 18,000 people during an eight year period known as The Killing Time. 

Chris Cooper, Treasurer of the Friends of Greyfriars Kirkyard which was set up as a result of the Making Lasting Impressions Project, said some of Greyfriars’ most treasured structures had suffered from years of neglect, while the kirkyard is now under rising pressure from climate change and large numbers of visitors, often gathering in groups as part of organised tours.

He said: “The kirkyard is the third most popular tourism attraction with free access in Scotland and you can have a group of 30 people tramping around, bumping into another group of tourists, all trying to squeeze past each other.

Read more: Harry Potter books signed by JK Rowling left on shelf for years

“Footfall continues to grow and that causes a real pressure on the footpaths, grass areas and soil erosion. 

“We have had cases of bones being seen popping through the soil.

“It’s happened in the last year or so and has been rectified - to their credit the council has responded, but the budget is limited and paths are still narrow for a number of people coming through. 

“These issues are a constant fight and there is a real problem coping with large numbers.”

Edinburgh City Council raised concerns at the kirkyard in 2020, in a tweet that tagged writer JK Rowling and was accompanied by a photograph showing muddy ground and imprints from the soles of boots and trainers. 

It said: “Greyfriars Cemetery suffering significant erosion on ground around Tom Riddell (Tom Riddle) grave due to 100,000’s of visitors. It’s great the  cemetery is so popular, so we are looking at solutions.”

Dr Susan Buckham, Graveyards Project Manager at Edinburgh World Heritage said: “Greyfriars has an unparalleled collection of 17th century carvings and monuments.

“As so little 17th-century sculpture survives, Greyfriars is Scotland’s leading resource for the period – it is our outdoor museum collection.

“But many of the earliest and most important gravestones suffer from serious stone decay. All face the significant on-going threat from weathering and erosion.

“We have barely scratched the surface in understanding the ideas that sparked their creation, their purpose and impressions these made in people’s minds over time to result in them being cherished or neglected.

“The new 3-D digital models will play an important role in helping to preserve provide the most accurate means possible to study the monument's carvings and construction, and to monitor changes in its condition in the future.”

Read more: Scotland's oldest inhabited house prepares to open its doors to public

A City of Edinburgh Council spokesperson said: “As a Council it is our duty and responsibility to provide safe spaces and poignant places of remembrance and reflection and to manage our historic world heritage site cemeteries, protecting and preserving them for the future.

“While we welcome that our cemeteries are appreciated by so many, the significant footfall through some of our cemeteries, like Greyfriars, is causing erosion of pathways and path edging which require regular repairs.

“We carry out regular inspections and remedial work in Greyfriars Kirkyard and are addressing the issues highlighted through our cemetery management plan and have also recently begun work on a specific conservation management plan for Greyfriars. We have also introduced a tour guide registration scheme and code of conduct to help manage the cemetery and ensure we preserve and maintain the cemetery for generations to come.”