There are some useful indications in Josef Jungmann, Missarum Sollemnia, I (trans. F A Brunner; NY, 1950):

A daily celebration of Mass with the character of a public service must, however, have remained unknown to the ancient Church until well in the
fourth century...But in the time of St. Augustine a daily Mass to which all the faithfulcould come must have been very widespread, at least in Africa.'" When itbecame the prevailing rule to transfer Votive Masses to the public church,the sharp distinction between public and private celebration began to disappear in the churches of the West and there arose some transitional forms. The faithful were now able to attend Mass in church daily. (p. 247)

It was not till the late Carolingian era, in the writings of Regina of Priim, that there are any traces of the faithful attending daily Mass. Daily attendance at Mass in the castle chapel was part of the order of the day amongst the Norman nobility of twelfth-century England; elsewhere too, the knights appear to have followed a similar practice. The people were encouraged in sermons to attend Mass daily, even in the days before the widespread desire to see our Lord which went to such excesses during the late Middle Ages. As a matter of fact daily attendance at Mass was a prevalent practice amongst all ranks of the people in the later Middle Ages. (p. 252)

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I strongly urge you to look up Jungmann - the book is readily accessible in libraries, and even on-line. The footnotes have a wealth of further information.

medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

Hallo for the first time! By way of contribution to answering the first part of your first question, here’s Basil’s Letter 93 (pasted from http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3202093.htm)

Best wishes, Monica

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA

To the Patrician Cæsaria, concerning Communion.

It is good and beneficial to communicate every day, and to partake of the holy body and blood of Christ. For He distinctly says, He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. John 6:54 And who doubts that to share frequently in life, is the same thing as to have manifold life. I, indeed, communicate four times a week, on the Lord's day, on Wednesday, on Friday, and on the Sabbath, and on the other days if there is a commemoration of any Saint. It is needless to point out that for anyone in times of persecution to be compelled to take the communion in his own hand without the presence of a priest or minister is not a serious offense, as long custom sanctions this practice from the facts themselves. All the solitaries in the desert, where there is no priest, take the communion themselves, keeping communion at home. And at Alexandria and in Egypt, each one of the laity, for the most part, keeps the communion, at his own house, and participates in it when he likes. For when once the priest has completed the offering, and given it, the recipient, participating in it each time as entire, is bound to believe that he properly takes and receives it from the giver. And even in the church, when the priest gives the portion, the recipient takes it with complete power over it, and so lifts it to his lips with his own hand. It has the same validity whether one portion or several portions are received from the priest at the same time.

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From: [log in to unmask]">Cormack, Margaret Jean

Sent: Wednesday, November 8, 2017 5:24 PM

To: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]

Subject: Re: [M-R] communion and church attendance in early church, as envisioned in Middle Ages

medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

Thanks Tom!
Can anyone give bibliography or other elucidation for the Early Church? The question is two-pronged: what were the actual customs and when did they change, and what did medieval people think they were and think the change took place?
Meg

From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious culture <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Thomas Izbicki <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 8, 2017 12:18 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [M-R] communion and church attendance in early church, as envisioned in Middle Ages

medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

Meg,

There was a transition to requiring lay communion on three major feasts: Easter, Pentecost & Christmas. I am unsure when this occurred, but I will look. Only with Lateran IV (1215) is there a further shift to requiring Easter Duty (confession & communion ca. Easter).

Tom Izbicki

From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious culture <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Cormack, Margaret Jean <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 8, 2017 12:11:48 PM
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Subject: [M-R] communion and church attendance in early church, as envisioned in Middle Ages

medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

Greetings all,

A friend asks for the origin of

'the notion that everyone in the early church attended mass and received communion every day, then this moved to Sundays, then, eventually, to the major feasts (for laity), with blessed bread taking its place.

This is the scenario from a vernacular mass commentary which might have been written around 1190–1210 (although those dates are far from fixed).'

Meg

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