Lowly nobles in pub on time (8)
I believe the answer is:
baronage
'lowly nobles' is the definition.
(barons as a group)
'pub on time' is the wordplay.
'pub' becomes 'bar' (I've seen this before).
'time' becomes 'age' (age is a kind of time).
'bar'+'on'+'age'='BARONAGE'
'in' is the link.
(Other definitions for baronage that I've seen before include "Lords" , "Body of lowest-ranking nobility" , "Some of the aristocracy" , "Group of nobles" , "Nobles collectively" .)