John Gower, Squire of Kent, the Peasants' Revolt, and the Visio Anglie

Abstract Though the status of John Gower as a squire of Kent is acknowledged, it has been generally assumed that the poet sold the manor of Aldington by Thurnham, his chief holding in Kent, in 1373, moving to Southwark shortly afterwards. This grant, however, was not a sale, but an enfeoffment to uses, through which Gower retained a beneficial interest. Gower's occupation of the property in 1381 is attested by his action to enforce a contract for the rebuilding of his house there. The evidence that he was living at Aldington, close to Maidstone, an epicenter of the Peasants' Revolt, provides a new perspective on his representation of the rising in Vox Clamantis, Book 1 (Visio Anglie). A recognition that the grantees in 1373, including Lord Cobham, were Gower's trusted friends provides a clearer view of his social circle and helps to explain his views of Richard II.