Jonty Claypole

I mean, that's a contemporary phrase, but he had very senior roles in Richard II's court.

And so we can see the different stages of his life documented as well as the work he's creating.

Exactly.

we are in a world which is shifting from the rigidity of medieval feudalism into something more fluid.

We're starting to go into a world where families can, over a number of generations, start to rise up the social ladder.

And one of the reasons for that is shortly before Chaucer was born, Europe and Britain were completely ravaged by the Black Death.

It's thought that something like half the population died

in the middle of the 14th century.

And that essentially leads to a revolution in British society because there aren't people around to do the jobs that we're doing.

People are able to move around a lot more.

So if you look at Chaucer himself, his great-grandfather was a tavern keeper, essentially working class.

Chaucer's grandfather moved up and was then a purveyor of wines.

He was a wine dealer.

And then Chaucer's father, John Chaucer, was a wine merchant with a royal contract.

So Chaucer's father has these links now into the royal family.

And that means he's able to marry up.

He marries a woman called Agnes Copton, who comes from a very wealthy family.

And she inherits a lot of property in London.

24 shops.

That means they're now in a position to shift their family, the Chaucers, up into the upper class, essentially.