The inscription on the front of the tomb reads:

“Sacred to the memory of James Smithson Esquire, Fellow of the Royal Society, London, who died at Genoa the 26th June 1829, aged 75 years*.”

The inscription on the back of the tomb reads:

“This monument is erected and the ground on which it stands is purchased in perpetuity by Henry Hungerford. Esq.**, the deceased’s nephew, in token of gratitude to a generous benefactor and as a tribute to departed worth”