Treu Levellers Freedom from Property. group of agrarian “communists” who flourished in England in 1649-50 and were led by Gerrard Winstanley and William.

Treu Levellers

Freedom from Property

• group of agrarian “communists” who flourished in England in 1649-50 and were led by Gerrard Winstanley and William Everard

• English Protestant religious group• they took over vacant or public lands that had

been privatized by Enclosures. They began cultivating the land and distributing the crops without charge to their followers

• Christian communism• They wanted to create a classless society

through seizing land and holding it in the “common good”

History

• In April 1649 about 20 poor men began to cultivate the common land (South-West of London)

• They argued that the English Civil Wars were fought not only against the king, but also against the great landowners

• Their demand: land should be given to the very poor to cultivate

• The numbers of the True Levellers doubled quickly and their activities alarmed the Commonwealth government and roused the hostility of local landowners

• Finally they were harassed by legal actions and mob violence (they were opposed to the use of force)

• Winstanley protested but the government didn’t do anything

• They initially had small groups of people (12), which then raised to 50

• Some of them travelled England attempting to rally supporters, but – in the end – they had was never particularly influential and were suppresed easily by Cromwell

• By the end of March 1650 their colony was dispersed

• They called themselves True Levellers, but their “communism” was strongly criticized by the leaders of the Levelers

• the name Diggers was coined by their contemporaries

Levellers and True Levellers

• Lilburne wanted to level the laws and maintain the right to the ownership of real property

• Winstanley wanted to level the ownership of real property itself

Gerrard Winstanley (1609–1676)

• Born in the parish of Wigan, his early years are unknown

• 1630 moved to London• Married in 1639 and went bankrupt in 1643

due English civil war• After the end of the True Levellers’ experience

he became a Quaker and remained so until the end of his life

• When his wife died (1664), he returned to London trade

• Married again in 1665 and became a corn chandler

• He wrote The Mysterie of God, the first book in English language language to argue for universalism (everyone will be saved)

The New Law of Righteousness (1649)

• Chapter 2, verses 44: "All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need."

• Verse 45: "in the beginning of time God made the earth. Not one word was spoken at the beginning that one branch of mankind should rule over another, but selfish imaginations did set up one man to teach and rule over another."

A Declaration from the Poor Oppressed People of England (1649)

• The power of enclosing land and owning property was brought into the creation by your ancestors by the sword; which first did murder their fellow creatures, men, and after plunder or steal away their land, and left this land successively to you, their children. And therefore, though you did not kill or thieve, yet you hold that cursed thing in your hand by the power of the sword; and so you justify the wicked deeds of your fathers, and that sin of your fathers shall be visited upon the head of you and your children to the third and fourth generation, and longer too, till your bloody and thieving power be rooted out of the land.