Timekeeping for Churches in Medieval England

Mass dials, mechanical clocks and bells

How did people know what time to go to church in medieval England? They didn’t have clocks until the late medieval period, and they were very expensive, so not widespread.

The church at Bowness, Cumbria, built in the footprint of a Roman fort and out of Roman stone. It has a nice 14th century bell turret on one end

The first answer is, of course, bells. Even a very small church would have one or two bells by the 14th century. They would be rung before Mass to tell people it was soon to begin. How long before Mass would, I suppose, depend on how long it would take them to get to the church. It could be one hour before Mass, repeated as the time approached.

The church at Stainburn, Yorkshire, a 12th century church with a 14th century (rebuilt) bell housing on top of the chancel wall