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, 250px, The inscription, carved in stone, on the monument of Sir John Young and Dame Joane, erected in 1606 in Bristol Cathedral, Bristol, England">Bristol.html" ;"title="Bristol Cathedral, Bristol Cathedral, Queen Elizabeth when she visited Bristol in 1574 and was knighted by her.">Bristol">Bristol Cathedral, Bristol, England. Sir John entertained Elizabeth I of England">Queen Elizabeth when she visited Bristol in 1574 and was knighted by her.
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, 250px, The Commemorative plaque, memorial plaque to Mary Carpenter (1807-1877) in Bristol Cathedral, Bristol, England. In the mid-19th century the Bristol streets were full of homeless and destitute children 'on the border of a criminal or vagrant life.' Moved by their plight, she looked after them and started schools.
A monumental inscription is an inscription, typically carved in stone, on a Headstone, grave marker, cenotaph, Commemorative plaque, memorial plaque, church monument or other
memorial
A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...
.
The purpose of monumental inscriptions is to serve as
memorial
A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...
s to the dead. Those on gravestones are normally placed there by members of the deceased's family. Those on memorial plaques inside a religious building are normally placed there by the wider community. The graves of those killed in wars and other armed conflicts are often placed together in military cemeteries in the country where the conflict took place; they are also remembered on
war memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war.
Symbolism
Historical usage
It has ...
s in their own country.
Monumental inscriptions are important to genealogists and family historians, providing information on the subjects life and death, including dates. Family connections can sometimes be resolved as members of the same family may be buried together.
Many old gravestones are now illegible due to weathering, but individuals and family history societies may have recorded their inscriptions and published them, either online, on microfiche or in book form. In
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...
has an
online
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity, and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed as "on lin ...
database
In computing, a database is an organized collection of data or a type of data store based on the use of a database management system (DBMS), the software that interacts with end users, applications, and the database itself to capture and a ...
Behistun Inscription
The Behistun Inscription (also Bisotun, Bisitun or Bisutun; , Old Persian: Bagastana, meaning "the place of god") is a multilingual Achaemenid royal inscriptions, Achaemenid royal inscription and large rock relief on a cliff at Mount Behistun i ...
List
A list is a Set (mathematics), set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of t ...