From the Alien Benedictine Priory, this tiny silver seal depicts a pair of angels holding a crown above a flower, possibly a rose.The Alien Benedictine Priory of Ware was established in 1081 by the Abbey of St. Evroul on land granted to them by Hugh de Grantmesnil in Ware, north of the present-day St Mary’s Church.. The Ware Priory was the principal house in England, collecting tithes from other Alien Priories and sending the money to the Mother House in France. Henry V, being at war with France lost patience with this practice, closing all the Alien houses in England and distributing their money amongst other Priories which he supported. Ware, being the principal house, was demolished leaving little evidence of this important place.

The Great Bed of Ware was acquired by the V&A Museum in the 1930s. At that time it had a crewel work coverlet and due to its poor condition the V&A decided it was not possible to restore it but instead offered pieces to local people. This section was kindly donated to Ware Museum by Lowewood Museum in 2003.

Crewel work involves stitching in ‘crewel’ or worsted wool onto linen or cotton fabric. The design is of scrolling leaves and this section features a red squirrel eating nuts or berries. The odd shape of the piece and the holes at the top suggest that it was used as a seat cover.

Nicknamed ‘Flavia’, this skeleton is of a Roman woman who was in her 30s or 40s when she died. She was found during archaeological excavations at the Glaxo site (now GSK). Her burial in a lead coffin liner suggests that she was a woman of high status and her perfect teeth are the result of the lack of sugar in the Roman period.

In 1886 Mr. Dennis Wickham founded the Motorcar and General Engineers company. In later years Wickham’s company became well known for their railway vehicles which were exported around the world, many of which can still be seen in action as far apart as Taiwan and Peru. This example of a hand-pump trolley, as seen in films like the Keystone Cops, was donated to the Ware Museum in 1991.

During medieval times pilgrimages to important religious venues were conducted on a regular basis. Badges would be worn by the participants to show which saint they were following, with the saint’s image inside the frame. Ware was an important stopping point on the pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Mary the Virgin at  Walsingham and benefitted from the money brought into the town. However, in the 16th century, Edward VI, son of Henry VIII, banned pilgrimages altogether, thus inflicting considerable financial hardship on Ware. It has been speculated that the Great Bed of Ware, created in Elizabeth I’s reign, was a way of drawing in visitors to the Inns of Ware as a result of this deprivation.