>Modern humans think there is a problem because we have so many timepieces.
>Medieval people hadn't noticed that there was anything to solve, so they
>didn't.
Exactly so. It doesn't really matter (so it seems to me, a secular) what
time monks do things, so long as they all do them at the same time. So long
as one monk has the responsibility for ringing the bell for vespers,
everyone will come to vespers when he rings. The difficulty arises when two
monasteries, like Rievaulx and Old Byland, are within earshot of each other;
then the confusion arises. The monks couldn't look at their wrist-watches
to check if that was their bell ringing, or the other firm's.
Oriens.
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