He died in 1880 aged just 29, after five years in post. He was quite an influential man, as founder and editor of the Scottish Football Annual in 1875; Queen's Park played Clapham Rovers in a benefit match a month after his death, representing the Scottish and English cup holders.
What is particularly interesting about the gravestone is the detailed carving, which must be the earliest such representation of a football in existence. The grave is in the part of the Necropolis known as the quarry, at its southern edge.