Late Medieval Catholicism
Worship in late medieval England up until the accession of Edward VI was conducted in much the same way as it had been since St. Osmund was made Bishop of Sarum (or Salisbury) in 1078. The Sarum version of the liturgy (the Sarum Use) was based upon the practices of the Church in Rome but also included some local, Norman, traditions. The Sarum Use guided the form and content of the Mass in the South of England; other Uses, notably York and Hereford, were employed further north and in Wales, but these were substantially similar. The service book (or missal) used by the churches gives general directions and provides the words to be used by the priest(s), but specific instructions about the position and role of the clergy and congregation are limited. Indeed, there would have been local variation depending on the wealth and size of the church, and the number of clergy involved. The scenes depicted here reflect as closely as possible the Sarum Mass as experienced by those attending the service on an ordinary Sunday, that is, a Sunday outside Lent or Advent and without a major festival such as Easter.