Synopses & Reviews
This is the first full-length, modern study of the Diggers or "True Levellers", who were among the most remarkable of the radical groups to emerge during the English Revolution of 1640-60. It was in April 1649 that the Diggers, inspired by the teachings and writings of Gerrard Winstanley, began their occupation of waste land at St. George's Hill in Surrey and called on all poor people to join them or follow their example. Acting at a time of unparalleled political change and heightened millenarian expectation, the Diggers believed that the establishment of an egalitarian, property-less society was imminent. This book should be of interest to all those interested in England's mid-seventeenth-century revolution and in the history of radical movements.
Review
"It fills a gap in our knowledge of all the facts relating to one of the most remarkable movements in seventeenth century England."--Keith Lindley, University of Ulster.
Synopsis
This book is the first full-length modern study of the Diggers, who were among the most remarkable of the radical groups to emerge during the English Revolution of 1640-60. The book also provides a reassessment of the Digger leader Gerrard Winstanley, a figure who has attracted great interest in recent years.
About the Author
John Gurney is a Visiting Fellow in the School of Historical Studies, Newcastle University.
Table of Contents
PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS * LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS * Parish, community and social relations in Cobham * Family, occupation and social structure * Manor and parish * Population * Population pressures * Landlords and tenants * The parish of Cobham and the Civil War * The coming of war * Rural popular protest * The impact of war * The costs of war * Social conflict * The manor of Cobham during the Civil War * Gerrard Winstanley * Family background * Marriage * Winstanley's bankruptcy * The move to Cobham * Surrey politics * Winstanley: the early writings * Influences * Towards the restoration of community * Context * The Diggers on St George's Hill * The first phase * Identifying the Diggers * St George's Hill * The Diggers and the local community * Reactions to the Diggers in Walton * The Diggers in Cobham * The end of the Digger colony * Aftermath