Ledger line (tombstone)


A ledger line refers to the parallel lines incised or sculpted around the edge of the top surface of a mediaeval ledger stone, laid flat on the floor of a church or on top of a chest tomb, within which lines is inscribed an epitaph or simple biographical memorial text, generally in gothic script and in Latin. The phrase "inscribed on a ledger line" is commonly found in the writings of English antiquaries.
Stock phrases or standard elements present in epitaphs within ledger lines on mediaeval church monuments in England include: