Lady Yester's Kirk

Lady Yester's Kirk was a parish church of the Church of Scotland and one of the burgh churches of Edinburgh. Founded in 1647, it served the south-eastern part of Edinburgh's Old Town until its union with Greyfriars Kirk in 1938. Margaret, Lady Yester gave a benefaction to establish the church in 1647; though a parish and minister were not allotted to the church until 1655. It was again without a regular congregation between 1662 and 1691. A secession from the congregation in 1764 led to the formation of Edinburgh's first Relief congregation. The church was notable for its close connection to the nearby University of Edinburgh and three of its ministers served as the university's principal. Though the Disruption of 1843 little affected the church, improvement works and population movement in the latter half of the 19th century and the early 20th century depleted the congregation. In 1938, the congregation united with Greyfriars Kirk. The building was sold to the university, which continues to use it as the headquarters of its Estates Department. The church building was completed in 1805 to a Jacobean design by William Sibbald. It incorporates and imitates some features of the original church, which stood slightly to the east. The first church included the burial aisle of Lady Yester. An elaborate Renaissance plaque which stood over her grave is now housed in Greyfriars Kirk.