Geoffrey Chaucer note asking for time off work identified as his handwriting

Geoffrey Chaucer, revered as the father of English literature, was employed for 12 years as controller of the London Wool Quay. Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty

A 14th-century bureaucratic document requesting time off work for a civil servant has been identified as the only surviving handwriting of Geoffrey Chaucer, revered as the father of English literature.

While it was known that the individual seeking a leave of absence was the author of The Canterbury Tales – during his 12-year employment as controller of the London Wool Quay – the application was assumed to have been made on his behalf by a clerk.