History - Inscriptions
On 4th October 1677, the Court of Aldermen requested Dr. Gale, master of St. Paul's School and later Dean of York, to devise a fitting inscription for the new pillar, in consultation with Sir Christopher Wren and the City Surveyor, Mr. Hooke. Dr. Gale's inscription, having been approved by the King, was presented to the Court on the 22nd of the same month and ordered to be inscribed.
Altogether three Latin inscriptions were devised covering three panels of the pedestal. That on the north side records the City's destruction, that on the south its restoration, and that on the east the years and mayoralties in which the erection of the Monument was commenced, continued and finished. On the west panel is a sculptured design by Cibber.
The following pages show images of the inscriptions and translations.
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Last updated:
17 January, 2008