SOUTH GRAY'S CLOSE

The name here refers to John Gray Burgess; though formerly, the close was occupied by the Grey Friars.

It was also known as Mint Close because it housed Scotland's Royal Mint from 1574 till 1877.

The close provided a home to many dignitaries - the eleventh Earl of Buchan, whose son William Erskine (1750-1823) gained prominence as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain.

Other buildings in the close were owned by the Wedderburns of Gosford, the Earl of Rosslyn, and the Earls of Hyndford and Selkirk.