She was yfostred in a nonnerye;
For Symkyn wolde no wyf, as he sayde,
But she were wel ynorissed and a mayde,
To saven his estaat of yomanrye.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Reeve’s Tale. Being raised and educated in a nunnery, Symkyn’s wife had a privileged education that would be beyond the reach of many lower class girls. So she appears to meet Symkyn’s requirement that his spouse have a high rank. Ironically the only reason she was raised in a nunnery is that she is the illegitimate child of a priest, who at that time was forbidden to marry, have sex and have children.