The images opposite are both connected with telling the time. The image on the left is of a
12th century sundial in Kilmalkedar, Co. Kerry, on the Dingle peninsular. The hole at the
top is for the gnomon (a short iron rod, now missing) which was there to cast a shadow on
the semi-circular dial face below. The dial is marked with five radiating "hour lines" for
the canonic hours. When the shadow of the gnomon fell on one of these lines it was time to
say your prayers - 6 a.m., 9 a.m., 12 noon, 3 p.m., and 6 p.m.
The image on the right is of the 14th century clock in Wells cathedral, Somerset, England.
With a clock like that you would never be late for Mass - if only you could figure out what
time it was! Obviously, the parishioners of Wells were wealthier than those of Kilmalkedar.
Nowadays we have digital watches that can tell you that you are 7 minutes and 26 seconds
late for Mass, give or take a few hundredths of a second but, in the 8th century, there
was only a "Mass mark" on the outer wall of the church. It was just a primitive sun dial.
When the shadow of the gnomon fell on the mark it was time for Mass to begin. There is a
Mass mark on St. Andrew's church in Norfolk, England, in a village called Little Snoring.
Can you believe it? The rector must be a wonderful preacher! Nearby is another village
called Great Snoring which is smaller than Little Snoring. The mind boggles!
What about the parishioners of Montecatini in Tuscany, Italy? Their church clock (above)
has a dial with only six hours on it numbered I, II, III, IV, V, and VI. So they can't
have an 11 o'clock Mass - or can they?
The image on the right is of the 14th century clock in Wells cathedral, Somerset, England.
With a clock like that you would never be late for Mass - if only you could figure out what
time it was! Obviously, the parishioners of Wells were wealthier than those of Kilmalkedar.
