The 14th-century Norwich Cathedral astronomical clock was the earliest example of a large clock with automata in England, and the first to possess an astronomical dial. It replaced an earlier 13th-century "old clock", one of the earliest weight-driven mechanical timekeepers made in England.
The astronomical clock at Norwich Cathedral was located in the priory's south transept. It was built to a high artistic standard—the exterior dial weighed 39 kilograms (86 lb) and the interior dial had a gilt moon and sun painted on the panel. There were images on the dial that may have represented the hours; 30 other images represented the days of the month. The clock's costs were recorded by the Benedictine monks in the priory's Sacrist’s Rolls from 1322 to 1325, which provide the earliest known detailed account of English clockmaking.
The clock was destroyed in a fire in the 17th century and was replaced in about 1620 by a simpler device, now lost, although two "jacquemarts" or clock-jacks have survived. The jacks were sold in around 1800, but were returned to the cathedral in 1878. They are located above the southern exit door, close to the original position of the astronomical clock.