The site was gifted to the people of Dundee in 1564 by Mary Queen of Scots, and was later used as a graveyard for three hundred years. Many stones show the symbols associated with the ancient trades in the City.

You can read about the history of The Howff on these two plaques:

The various graves can be searched on this website – for example stone 34 has a French link and stone 53 has an Irish link: Tombs of the Dundee Howff

The grave can be seen of James and Janet Keiller lying very close to the south-west corner. The Keillors are famed for making the first commercially produced Marmalade in the UK. The story goes that James Keiller, who ran a small shop in Dundee, purchased the cargo of oranges from a Spanish ship when the ship sought refuge from a storm at Dundee. The oranges had gone past their best but were good to make marmalade – a lot of marmalade !! This was the start of Keiller’s Marmalade. The Keillers sold it through their shop, and the business ended up expanding and specialising in marmalade! Some of their marmalade jars can be seen in the McManus Galleries:

Keiller’s marmalade – Wikipedia

Accessibility Guide – The Howff | AccessAble

Walking Route Instructions: You have now reached the end of our main walk. We hope you enjoyed it. If you would like to continue to our “Extra Stop” of the Tree of Liberty on Perth Road, then make your way out of the bottom corner of the Howff cemetery at Bank Street/Barack Street and enter the Overgate shopping centre. Walk through the centre and out the other side behind Steeple Church. Make your way to the front of the Church and you are on Nethergate. Turn right towards a pedestrian crossing across the West Marketgait main road. Cross at the pedestrian crossing over to the continuation of Nethergate which continues into Perth Road. The Duncan of Jordanstone buildings are about 500m from the pedestrian crossing you have just crossed at West Marketgait.