A small bell rung during the mass, at the consecration of the host. It could simply be a handbell, but sometimes a small bell in the bell-chamber was used, and provision was made in the form of an opening to allow the ringer in the tower to see the sanctuary. In other cases the sanctus bell was mounted externally; outside the tower (as at Ickleton, Cambs) or in a bellcote on the east gable of the nave (as at Wingrave, Bucks). Bells in the tower or external bells could be heard by those not in church, and alerted them that a crucial stage in the mass had been reached.