medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Erik asked:
> May I ask how wide your timeframe is, to be useful for
deductions?
> As far as I have been able to conclude, was the indication of
time around 1500
> a figure without any punctuality comparable to modern times...
I thank Erik for his observations. I understand the relativity
involved, and know that until the advent of railroads in the
19th century, time was kept very locally (e.g., you could leave
home at noon, ride west for an hour, and arrive at another town
at noon). But that may not make any difference if in this case,
on Dec. 4, 1514, old St. Paul's had its High Mass at X o'clock
and, as the cathedral authorities reckoned it, alerted the
locals to that fact. As the murder was in the cathedral and
involved both cathedral and bishopric staff, and the inquest was
conducted by a coroner's jury from the neighborhood, I would
imagine that everyone was oriented around the cathedral's
reckoning of time.
In Hall's Chronicle, the record of the murder of Richard Hun or
Hunne has several other references to exact times, although
always rounded off--e.g., "the hower of .i. of ye clocke"--but
at one point specifies only High Mass. Here's the context:
"And the sayde deponent sayeth, that he came on the Monday at
the hower of eyghte of the clocke in the morenynge to seke Ihon
Belrynger, and coulde not fynde hym, and taryed vntyll the hye
Masse of Poules was done, and yet he coulde not fynde Ihon
Belrynger..."
Does that imply that High Mass was at 8 a.m.? Tarrying is a
pretty vague activity, and a lot of time could have passed if
mass was at, say, 10 a.m. and Peter Turner tarried in the tavern
while waiting for John Spalding, the bellringer. So it would be
useful if I could find out the scheduled time of High Mass.
BTW does anyone know how long High Mass might have lasted in an
English cathedral in 1514?
Al Magary
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