Resting in a resting place the Howff

The land of the burial ground was part of the Franciscan (Greyfriars) Monastery until the Scottish Reformation. In 1564 Mary, Queen of Scots granted the land to the burgh of Dundee, for use as a burial ground. It was used for meetings by the Dundee Incorporated Trades, and subsequently became known as The Howff, from the Scotsword howff meaning a meeting place. Meetings at The Howff ceased in 1776.The last burial took place in 1857. The walls along the west side date from 1601.