This bell from the 14th century is remarkably inscribed "Ave Gracia".
When William of Wykeham founded Winchester College in the late 14th century, he furnished his new college with a set of bells – three in a tower, and one above the roof.
The lightest of Wykeham’s bells survives. During a restoration in 1952, a large crack was discovered in it, so it was taken down from the tower, and replaced with a new bell.
The bell is inscribed “AVEGRACIA”, because it was the bell rung at the end of each day, at which point people were supposed to say three Hail Marys. What makes this bell particularly special is that its inscription survived the Reformation, when the practice of saying Hail Marys in the evening was ended and when inscriptions in churches were brutally destroyed.
Find out more about the history of bell-ringing at Winchester College in this article. The bell is located in Thurbern's Chantry, so is on the route of the guided tours around Winchester College.
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