Farming Communities: The day revolved around agricultural work. The sun’s position dictated tasks like planting, tending livestock, harvesting, etc.
Market Towns: Market days were a significant timekeeping event, with the flow of activity leading up to and after the market influencing the sense of time.
Mealtimes: Meals, even if simple, provided a rhythm to the day. A mid-morning break, a bigger meal at midday, and supper in the evening likely punctuated people’s lives.
Monastic Influence: The ringing of church bells for prayer times like Matins (morning), Vespers (evening), etc., imparted a sense of time even to those outside the monastery.
Holy Days: Religious festivals and holy days provided a recurring calendar distinct from the daily rhythm.
Birdsong: Different birds are active at different times of the day. The sounds of birdsong and their changes would have signaled a rough sense of time.
Shadows: The length and direction of shadows cast by the sun were natural “clocks” for estimating the time of day.
Bodily sensations: Hunger, tiredness, and the body’s internal rhythms likely played a more significant role in time awareness than we experience today.