Piershill is an unremarkable cemetery (from a photographic viewpoint), the majority of the headstones being 20th century and all looking very similar. There were however two things which interested me here, the grave of The Great Lafayette and the very crowded Jewish section.

 
The headstone of Sigmund Neuburger (1871-1911), The Great Lafayette.

Lafayette, an illusionist, was eight months into his British tour when he arrived in Edinburgh. It was during his second week at The Empire (now the Festival Theatre) that disaster struck. An electrical fault started a fire and within moments the stage was well ablaze. Seven perished, including Lafayette who could only be identified by his rings.

On the flat stone in front of the headstone is the inscription, "In memory of my dearest Beauty". Beauty, his dog and faithful companion and gifted to him by Harry Houdini, had died the previous week.

This is the third Jewish graveyard in Edinburgh, Piershill being used once Sciennes House Place and then Newington became full.

The headstone above marks the grave of Abraham Alexander who died in 1910 aged 102 - the oldest person I've come across in any graveyard. The Hebrew inscription describes him as "an excellent and famous old man" and  also says that he was a rabbi.
(I don't know Hebrew, the translation was emailed to me)

And finally, on a recent visit I came across the grave of Samuel Evans V.C. (below):
In Memory of Samuel Evans V.C. ,Late Private, 19th Foot. Who won the Victoria Cross in the Crimean War for volunteering to go into an embrasure, thereby rendering very great assistance in repairing damage under a heavy fire from the enemy on 13th April 1855. Died 4th October 1901(?), aged 80 years. Also his wife Margaret Who served as Nurse in Scutari Hospital under Miss Florence Nightingale.