Great Tom, housed in the tower, is the loudest bell in Oxford. It weighs six and a quarter tons and was moved from the 12th-century
Osney Abbey after the
dissolution of the monasteries. Aside from a student prank in 2002 when the clapper was lagged (enclosed or covered with a material providing insulation), Tom has sounded every night since the
Second World War. Originally called "Mary", Great Tom was moved from Osney Abbey to
St Frideswide's Priory in 1545, after which at some point it was renamed "Tom". It had caused problems since its first casting, wearing out its clapper, and was recast in 1626 and 1654, but without solving the problem (there is no evidence of a recasting in 1612). In 1678–79, Richard Keene of
Woodstock tried three times to recast the bell, in the process increasing its weight from two to over six tons, but it was not until a final recasting in 1680—by
Christopher Hodson, a bell-founder from London—that success was achieved, and the resulting bell, Great Tom, was hung in the newly completed Tom Tower. It was rehung in May 1953. There is an inscription on the bell in
Latin, which translated reads: "Great Thomas the door closer of Oxford renovated April 8, 1680 in the reign of
Charles II. Deacon John, the Bishop of Oxford and sub-Deacon give thanks to the knowledge of Henry Smith and the care and workmanship of Christopher Hodson". Great Tom is still sounded 101 times every night, which signifies the 100 original scholars of the college plus one (added in 1663). It is rung at 21:05 current UK time, which corresponds to 21:00 in what used to be "
Oxford time" (local mean time for Oxford, noon in Oxford always occurring five minutes later than noon in Greenwich), and was at one time the signal for all the Oxford colleges to lock their gates. The bell is only rung by swinging on very special occasions. The bell is the subject of a number of
Oxfordshire Morris tunes and
rounds, including "Old Tom of Oxford" (from
Bampton), and the rounds "Great Tom Is Cast" and "Bonny Christ Church Bells", which were composed by the Dean of Christ Church,
Henry Aldrich (1647–1710). However, "Great Tom Is Cast" is also credited to Matthew White as having been written in 1667. The two versions are identical except for two notes. Considering the dates, it is likely that White is the real author of the piece. == Clock ==