While records concerning the lives of his contemporary friends, William Langland and the Pearl Poet, are practically non-existent, since Chaucer was a public servant, his official life is very well documented, with nearly five hundred written items testifying to his career.
Dok zapisi o Chauncerovim suvremenicima William Langlandu i pjesnik koje je napisao pjesmu "Pearl" praktički ne postoje, kako je Chaucer bio javni djelatnik, njegov službeni dio života je dobro dokumentiran i postoji oko petstotinjak zapisa koje govore o njegovoj karijeri.