Object Name: Bell, Ship's

Object ID: 95.690

Date: 1638

Description: This cast bronze bell was first created in 1638 by Miles Graye and was donated to Mayflower II by the Urban District Council in Brixham, England for the 1957 sail. Inscribed on its side: "Miles Graye Made Me 1638." It was common practice in the 17th-century to have objects "speak" for themselves. Historically, ship bells were used to keep track of the passage of time in half-hour intervals. A ship's sandglass was flipped every half an hour, during that time the bell would be rung. The bell would also be rung to alert the crew of shift changes, which generally took place every four hours. After the 1957 sail, this bell was transferred over to collections at Plimoth Patuxet and a new bell was forged for Mayflower II in 2019 as part of the ship's restoration.