William Langland was born in 1332. Educated at Malvern he came to London with his wife and children.
He was a poor man and earned his bread by singing. In his famous book The Book of Piers, the Plowman appears in its many manuscripts in three forms, called respectively the A,B and C texts.
This book is written in 1370-1386. In addition to this unfinished work, he wrote a poem entitled, Richard the Redeless.