People were not prissy in their Church activities before the reformation. Social life revolved around the church and its guilds, feast days and processions
Much needed Church funding came from Church Ales where parishioners ate and drank at these feast times I suppose the one festival that continues like that is the harvest supper . I don't think Church ales actually took place in the Church itself as even tiny villages had a Church House . I can imagine festivities spilling over into the church
Ketts rebellion (1549 so just post 1500 ). started after the Wymondham Feast. Locals were very upset that their patron, Saint Thomas Becket had been demoted so celebrating his feast day was illegal .They celebrated anyway and no doubt spent hours drinking and discussing all their other grievances, plotting what to do about them. Next day they went off to demolish enclosures put up by a disliked landowner.
