Abbey, a precinct in Canongate parish, Edinburghshire, adjacent to the foot of the lines of street eastward from the centre of the Old Town of Edinburgh. It contains Holyrood Palace and Abbey, and includes the Queen's Park. First enclosed by James V., it has, from ancient times, been a sanctuary for insolvent debtors, a bailie for it being appointed by commission from the Duke of Hamilton, and sitting in a small court-house on the first Saturday of every month. Its population has dwindled since the alteration of the law respecting debtors, and it now has few inhabitants except in connection with Holyrood. The objects of interest, particularly the palace, the abbey, and their adjuncts, are described under Edinburgh.

(F.H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4); © 2004 Gazetteer for Scotland)