King Yeongjo’s Draft Composition for Funerary Inscription for Lady Choi

The first draft of inscription of Yeongjo in autumn 1744 (Year 20 of Yeongjo), for the tombstone of Soryeongwon, a tomb of Yeongjo’s birth mother Lady Choi. Soryeongwon is now situated at Yeongjangli, Gwangtan myeon, Paju city in Gyeonggi province. Lady Choi was born in November 1670 (Year 11 of Hyeonjong) as a daughter of Hyowon Choi, entered the palace at the age of 7, and after going through the ranking of Sukwon, Sukui and Gwiin, became the concubine and gave birth to Yeongjo in 1694 (Year 20 of Sukjong). She passed away in March 1718 at the age of 49. In 1744, the name of her tomb was changed to ‘Soryeong’ and Yeongjo himself wrote an inscription.