Order of The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories, mostly in verse, written by Geoffrey Chaucer chiefly from 1387 to 1400. They are held together in a frame story of a pilgrimage on which each member of the group is to tell two tales on the way to Canterbury, and two on the way back. Fewer than a quarter of the projected tales were completed before Chaucer's death.
It is uncertain in what order Chaucer intended the tales to appear; moreover it is very possible that, as a work-in-progress, no final authorial order of tales ever existed.
Several different orders are evident in the manuscripts of the work; in addition certain orders and structures of the Tales have been proposed by scholars.

Key

The table below enumerates all the pilgrims mentioned in the General Prologue, plus two that materialise later in the tales, and the stories they tell. It also compares the orders in which stories appear in various sources.Pilgrim – The designation of each pilgrim in the General Prologue, commonly accepted alternate designation within the name of their Tale, and membership in group of pilgrims if any. The pilgrims' names link to their Tales' articles.GP – This column lists the order in which each character is mentioned in the General Prologue.
Scholarly arrangementsTyr – Thomas Tyrwhitt, editor of the first modern edition of The Canterbury Tales accepted the order of the Ellesmere manuscript, and furthermore determined – primarily based on linkages in the Tales' Prologues – which tales were "inseparably linked" to each other; this resulted in his postulating 10 Fragments, each of which is seen as an authorially integral narrative unit, but with no certain indication of what is to come before or after. This structure has remained influential, and is the arrangement followed in the Riverside Chaucer. CS – Using Tyrwhitt's foundation, Henry Bradshaw rearranged some Fragments, largely with the goal of constructing the most plausible itinerary for the pilgrims based on clues of time and location in the text. The "Bradshaw shift" results in Groups A-I. This arrangement was embraced by Frederick James Furnivall and the Chaucer Society, as well as Walter William Skeat and others.FGF — F. G. Fleay proposed this ordering in "Some Folk-Lore from Chaucer".
Manuscripts: Over 80 manuscripts containing all or part of The Canterbury Tales exist. The six tabulated below represent the four main orders in which tales appear in the manuscripts, plus two significant anomalous arrangements. All manuscript orders were collated by Furnivall.El – A deluxe illuminated manuscript, probably made within 20 years of Chaucer's death.Hg – Probably the oldest surviving manuscript and, since the mid-20th century, considered the most important.Hg* Manly & Rickert argue that some time after Hengwrt was copied, leaves from the back of the manuscript were mistakenly moved to the middle, and the manuscript was bound – and remains today – in this mistaken order. This column shows the presumed original order.Cx – The earliest printed edition of The Canterbury Tales, it is typically accorded manuscript status, as it is based on a now-lost manuscript.La Pw

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Table

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Pilgrim GP Tyr CS FGF El Hg Hg* Cx La Pw Ha'''
Knight 1 I.2 A.2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Squire 2 V.1 F.1 15 12 13 10 7 7 9 12
Yeoman 3
Prioress 4 VII.2 B².2 10 17 21 18 19 19 7 19
Nun "Second Nun" 5 VIII.1 G.1 22 22 16 13 14 14 16 14
Priest "Nun's Priest" 6 VII.6 B².6 14 21 10 22 23 23 23 23
Second Priest 7
Third Priest 8
Monk 9 VII.5 B².5 13 20 9 21 22 22 22 22
Friar 10 III.2 D.2 18 8 7 7 10 9 12 8
Merchant 11 IV.2 E.2 21 11 14 11 8 12 10 11
Clerk 12 IV.1 E.1 20 10 17 14 12 11 14 10
Sergeant of Law "Man of Law" 13 II B¹ 8 6 12 9 6 6 8 6
Franklin 14 V.2 F.2 16 13 15 12 13 13 15 13
Haberdasher 15
Carpenter 16
Weaver 17
Dyer 18
Tapestry Weaver 19
Cook 20 I.5 A.5 5 5 5 5 5 5 +G 5 +G 5 +G
Shipman 21 VII.1 B².1 9 16 20 17 18 18 6 18
Doctor of Physic "Physician" 22 VI.1 C.1 6 14 18 15 16 16 18 16
Wife of Bath 23 III.1 D.1 17 7 6 6 9 8 11 7
Parson 24 X.1 I.1 25 25 24 24 25 25 25 25
Plowman 25
Reeve 26 I.4 A.4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Miller 27 I.3 A.3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Summoner 28 III.3 D.3 19 9 8 8 11 10 13 9
Pardoner 29 VI.2 C.2 7 15 19 16 17 17 19 17
Manciple 30 IX H 24 24 11 23 24 24 24 24
"Chaucer" 31 I.1 A.1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
"Chaucer" 31 VII.3 B².3 11 18 22 19 20 20 20 20
"Chaucer" 31 VII.4 B².4 12 19 23 20 21 21 21 21
"Chaucer" 31 X.2 I.2 - 26 - - 26 26 26 26
Our Host 32
Canon's Yeoman - VIII.2 G.2 23 23 - - 15 15 17 15
Canon -

Pilgrim	GP	Tyr	CS	FGF	El	Hg	Hg*	Cx	La	Pw	Ha'''
Knight	1	I.2	A.2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Squire	2	V.1	F.1	15	12	13	10	7	7	9	12
Yeoman	3
Prioress	4	VII.2	B².2	10	17	21	18	19	19	7	19
Nun "Second Nun"	5	VIII.1	G.1	22	22	16	13	14	14	16	14
Priest "Nun's Priest"	6	VII.6	B².6	14	21	10	22	23	23	23	23
Second Priest	7
Third Priest	8
Monk	9	VII.5	B².5	13	20	9	21	22	22	22	22
Friar	10	III.2	D.2	18	8	7	7	10	9	12	8
Merchant	11	IV.2	E.2	21	11	14	11	8	12	10	11
Clerk	12	IV.1	E.1	20	10	17	14	12	11	14	10
Sergeant of Law "Man of Law"	13	II	B¹	8	6	12	9	6	6	8	6
Franklin	14	V.2	F.2	16	13	15	12	13	13	15	13
Haberdasher	15
Carpenter	16
Weaver	17
Dyer	18
Tapestry Weaver	19
Cook	20	I.5	A.5	5	5	5	5	5	5 +G	5 +G	5 +G
Shipman	21	VII.1	B².1	9	16	20	17	18	18	6	18
Doctor of Physic "Physician"	22	VI.1	C.1	6	14	18	15	16	16	18	16
Wife of Bath	23	III.1	D.1	17	7	6	6	9	8	11	7
Parson	24	X.1	I.1	25	25	24	24	25	25	25	25
Plowman	25
Reeve	26	I.4	A.4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Miller	27	I.3	A.3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3
Summoner	28	III.3	D.3	19	9	8	8	11	10	13	9
Pardoner	29	VI.2	C.2	7	15	19	16	17	17	19	17
Manciple	30	IX	H	24	24	11	23	24	24	24	24
"Chaucer"	31	I.1	A.1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
"Chaucer"	31	VII.3	B².3	11	18	22	19	20	20	20	20
"Chaucer"	31	VII.4	B².4	12	19	23	20	21	21	21	21
"Chaucer"	31	X.2	I.2	-	26	-	-	26	26	26	26
Our Host	32
Canon's Yeoman	-	VIII.2	G.2	23	23	-	-	15	15	17	15
Canon	-