How did the liatey cope with lack of visible active clergy in early years of settlement?

Answer 1

A settlement is a community of people smaller than a town, something like a village which was far to small to warrant any clergy being in their midst. The smaller the settlement the less the clergy was likely to make a good living. Someone in the settlement would have had a bible, so it would be common for people to meet in the homes of those who had a bible to discuss the scriptures.

As a point of interest it was only when the clergy did arrive that the non clerics were called laity.

Answer 2

With Difficulty.