On this day 150 years ago, a legend was cemented as the world's most famous Skye Terrier was laid to rest.
The death of Greyfriars Bobby on January 14, 1872 was met with great sadness far beyond the confines of the Edinburgh kirkyard where the faithful dog had spent most of his days.
People from all over the world are familiar with the endearing story of how Bobby lay at his master's grave for 14 years, and, pre-pandemic, throngs of tourists would make a pilgrimage to the dog's much-celebrated bronze statue at the head of Candlemaker Row.
Sculpted in the year of Bobby's death, the diminutive statue has become one of Edinburgh's most iconic public monuments, and, fittingly, its very inception was made possible by the power of our four-legged friend's incredible story.
The timeless tale of Bobby's long-time devotion to the late gardener John Gray was every bit as well-known in the 1870s as it is today, with news of the dog's death making headlines nationwide
One individual who was particularly fond of Bobby's story was Baroness Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts.
As heiress to her grandfather's £1.8 million fortune (equivalent to over £170m in 2022), Lady Burdett-Coutts was one of the wealthiest women in Victorian Britain, and, as President of the Ladies Committee of the RSPCA, a lover of animals.
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So charmed was she by the story of Bobby's affection, Lady Burdett-Coutts, who was well-known for her acts of philanthropy, wrote to Edinburgh's town council to request permission for a memorial to be erected.
Lady Burdett-Coutts' publicly undisclosed offer was gratefully received. The lifelike statue was duly commissioned and sculpted by the artist William Brodie.
The statue itself was placed on a seven-foot-high memorial plinth and drinking fountain (designed to accommodate people and dogs) of Peterhead granite.
On the upper column, two reliefs were made, one depicting the coat of arms of the Baroness, and the other for the City of Edinburgh.
An inscription on the monument 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.”
A large crowd assembled to watch the unveiling of Greyfriars Bobby's monument on November 15, 1873.
A century-and-a-half later, Bobby's monument and the legend that charmed a wealthy English baroness into paying for it, endure.
