 Chroniclers primarily described the rebels as rural serfs , using broad , derogatory Latin terms such as serviles rustici , servile genus and rusticitas . Some chroniclers , including Knighton , also noted the presence of runaway apprentices , artisans and others , sometimes terming them the " lesser commons " . The evidence from the court records following the revolt , albeit biased in various ways , similarly shows the involvement of a much broader community , and the earlier perception that the rebels were only constituted of unfree serfs is now rejected . 
