Howff, The

The Howff, Dundee
©2011 Gazetteer for Scotland

The Howff is the name given to the historic graveyard that lies on the south of Meadowside in Dundee. It occupies the garden of the former Greyfriars monastery, which was founded by Devorguilla Balliol in the 13th C. The monastery was destroyed in 1548 and the land was gifted to the City of Dundee by Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87). It was the meeting place for the Nine Trades of Dundee until the 18th C. and the signs and symbols of these trades can be seen inscribed on the gravestones. The monuments date from the 16th to the 19th Centuries, the last burial having taken place in 1857.

The Howff is the final resting place of James Chalmers (1782 - 1853), inventor of the adhesive postage stamp.

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