Notes and Queries, Number 81, May 17, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc.

In this inventive essay the writer treats Geoffrey Chaucer not merely as a poet but as an early data‑collector, showing how the pilgrim’s journey to Canterbury is anchored by precise solar observations. By examining the recorded sun‑altitudes in the Prologue, the author demonstrates that Chaucer deliberately noted the height of the sun at two opposite points of the day, allowing modern readers to reconstruct the exact hour and even the calendar date of the tale’s setting.

The analysis walks through the simple geometry of shadows and declination, turning medieval verse into a scientific puzzle. It reveals how such measurements can safeguard the text against copying errors, offering a fresh lens on textual criticism and the interplay between literature and astronomy. Listeners will appreciate both the scholarly rigor and the playful curiosity that brings a 14th‑century work into dialogue with modern scientific method.