LEVELLERS  , the name given to an important See also:

• POLITICAL

political party in See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England during the See also:

• PERIOD
• PERIOD (Gr. irepioSos, a going or way round, circuit, aepi, round, and &Sis, way, road)

period of the See also:

• CIVIL

Civil See also:

• WAR
• WAR (O. Eng. werre, Fr. guerre, of Teutonic origin; cf. O.H.G. werran, to confound)

War and the See also:

• COMMON

Common-See also:

• WEALTH

wealth . The germ of the Levelling See also:

• MOVEMENT

movement must be sought for among the See also:

• AGITATORS, or ADJUTATORS

Agitators (q.v.), men of strong republican views, and the name Leveller first appears in a See also:

• LETTER (through Fr. lettre from Lat. littera or litera, letter of the alphabet; the origin of the Latin word is obscure; it has probably no connexion with the root of linere, to smear, i.e. with wax, for an inscription with a stilus)

letter of the 1st of See also:

• NOVEMBER (Lat. novem, nine)

November 1647, although it was undoubtedly in existence as a See also:

• NICKNAME

nickname before this date (See also:

• GARDINER
• GARDINER, JAMES (1688-1745)
• GARDINER, SAMUEL RAWSON (1829–1902)
• GARDINER, STEPHEN (c. 1493–1555)

Gardiner, See also:

• GREAT

Great Civil War, iii . 38o) . This letter refers to these extremists thus: " They have given themselves a new name, viz . Levellers, for they intend to sett all things straight, and rayse a parity and community in the See also:

• KINGDOM

kingdom." The Levellers first became prominent in 1647 during the protracted and unsatisfactory negotiations between the See also:

• KING
• KING (O. Eng. cyning, abbreviated into cyng, cing; cf. O. H. G. chun- kuning, chun- kunig, M.H.G. kiinic, kiinec, kiinc, Mod. Ger. Konig, O. Norse konungr, kongr, Swed. konung, kung)
• KING [OF OCKHAM], PETER KING, 1ST BARON (1669-1734)
• KING, CHARLES WILLIAM (1818-1888)
• KING, CLARENCE (1842–1901)
• KING, EDWARD (1612–1637)
• KING, EDWARD (1829–1910)
• KING, HENRY (1591-1669)
• KING, RUFUS (1755–1827)
• KING, THOMAS (1730–1805)
• KING, WILLIAM (1650-1729)
• KING, WILLIAM (1663–1712)

king and the See also:

• PARLIAMENT (Anglo-Lat. parliamentum, Fr. parlement, from parler, to speak)

parliament, and while the relations between the latter and the See also:

• ARMY
• ARMY (from Fr. armee, Lat. armata)

army were very strained . Like the Agitators they were mainly found among the soldiers; they were opposed to the existence of kingship, and they feared that See also:

• CROMWELL, HENRY (1628-1674)
• CROMWELL, OLIVER (1599-1658)
• CROMWELL, RICHARD (1626–1712)
• CROMWELL, THOMAS, EARL OF

Cromwell and the other See also:

• PARLIAMENTARY

parliamentary leaders were too complaisant in their dealings with See also:

• CHARLES
• CHARLES (1270-1325)
• CHARLES (1421-1461)
• CHARLES (1525-1574)
• CHARLES (c. 1319-1364)
• CHARLES (Fr. Charles; Span. Carlos; Ital. Carlo; Ger. Karl; derived from O.H.G. Charal,latinized as Carolus, meaning originally " man ": cf. Mod.Ger., Kerl," fellow," A.S. ceorl, Mod. Eng. " churl ")
• CHARLES (KARL EITEL ZEPHYRIN LUDWIG; in Rum. CAROL)
• CHARLES [KARL ALEXANDER] (1712-1780)
• CHARLES, ELIZABETH (1828-1896)
• CHARLES, JACQUES ALEXANDRE CESAR (1746-1823)
• CHARLES, THOMAS (1755-1814)

Charles; in fact they doubted their sincerity in this See also:

• MATTER

matter . Led by See also:

• JOHN
• JOHN (1167–1216)
• JOHN (1290-c. 1320)
• JOHN (1296-1346)
• JOHN (1371–1419)
• JOHN (1468-1532)
• JOHN (1801-1873)
• JOHN (Heb. llni')
• JOHN (ZAPOLYA) (1487-1540)
• JOHN, 4TH MARQUESS OF TWEEDDALE (c. 1695-1762)
• JOHN, DON (1545-1578)
• JOHN, DON (1629–1679)
• JOHN, GOSPEL OF ST
• JOHN, or HAYS (1513–1571)
• JOHN, THE APOSTLE
• JOHN, THE EPISTLES OF

John See also:

• LILBURNE, JOHN (c. 1614-1657)

Lilburne (q.v.) they presented a manifesto, The See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

Case of the Army truly stated, to the See also:

• COMMANDER

commander-in-See also:

• CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief, See also:

• LORD
• LORD (O. Eng. hldford, i.e. hldfweard, the warder or keeper of bread, hlIf, loaf; the word is not represented in any other Teutonic language)
• LORD, JOHN (1810-1894)

Lord See also:

• FAIRFAX, EDWARD (c. 1580-1635)

Fairfax, in See also:

• OCTOBER

October 1647 . In this they demanded a See also:

• DISSOLUTION (from Lat. dissolvere, to break up into parts)

dissolution of parliament within a See also:

• YEAR

year and substantial changes in the constitution of future parliaments, which were to be regulated by an unalterable " See also:

• LAW
• LAW (0. Eng. lagu, M. Eng. lawe; from an old Teutonic root lag, " lie," what lies fixed or evenly; cf. Lat. lex, Fr. loi)
• LAW, JOHN (1671—1729)
• LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761)

law See also:

• PARAMOUNT (Anglo-Fr. paramont, up above, par el mont, up or on top of the mountain)

paramount." In a second document, The Agreement of the See also:

• PEOPLE

People, they See also:

• EXPANDED

expanded these ideas, which were discussed by Cromwell, See also:

• IRETON, HENRY (161I–1651)

Ireton and other See also:

• OFFICERS

officers on the one See also:

• SIDE
• SIDE (mod. Eski Adalia)

side, and by John See also:

• WILDMAN, SIR JOHN (c. 1621-169)

Wildman, See also:

• THOMAS
• THOMAS (c. 1654-1720)
• THOMAS (d. 110o)
• THOMAS, ARTHUR GORING (1850-1892)
• THOMAS, CHARLES LOUIS AMBROISE (1811-1896)
• THOMAS, GEORGE (c. 1756-1802)
• THOMAS, GEORGE HENRY (1816-187o)
• THOMAS, ISAIAH (1749-1831)
• THOMAS, PIERRE (1634-1698)
• THOMAS, SIDNEY GILCHRIST (1850-1885)
• THOMAS, ST
• THOMAS, THEODORE (1835-1905)
• THOMAS, WILLIAM (d. 1554)

Thomas Rainsborough and See also:

• EDWARD

Edward See also:

• SEXBY, EDWARD (d. 1658)

Sexby for the Levellers on the other . But no See also:

• SETTLEMENT
• SETTLEMENT, ACT OF

settlement was made; some of the Levellers clamoured for the king's See also:

• DEATH

death, and in November 1647, just after his See also:

• FLIGHT

flight from See also:

• HAMPTON
• HAMPTON, WADE (1818-1902)

Hampton See also:

• COURT
• COURT (from the O. Fr. court, Late Lat. cortis, curtis, a popular form of class. Lat. cohors, gen. cohortis; the mod. Fr. form tour is due to the influence of the Lat. curia, the word used in medieval documents to translate " court " in the feudal sense)
• COURT, ANTOINE (1696-176o)

Court to See also:

• CARISBROOKE

Carisbrooke, they were responsible for a See also:

• MUTINY
• MUTINY (from an old verb " mutine," O. Fr. mutin, meutin, a sedition; cf. mod. Fr. emeute; the original is the Late Lat. mota, commotion, from movere, to move)

mutiny which See also:

• BROKE, or BROOKE, ARTHUR (d. 1563)
• BROKE, SIR PHILIP BOWES VERE, BART

broke out in two regiments at Corkbush See also:

• FIELD (a word common to many West German languages, cf. Ger. Feld, Dutch veld, possibly cognate with O.E. f olde, the earth, and ultimately with root of the Gr. irAaror, broad)
• FIELD, CYRUS WEST (1819-1892)
• FIELD, DAVID DUDLEY (18o5-1894)
• FIELD, EUGENE (1850-1895)
• FIELD, FREDERICK (18o1—1885)
• FIELD, HENRY MARTYN (1822-1907)
• FIELD, JOHN (1782—1837)
• FIELD, MARSHALL (183 1906)
• FIELD, NATHAN (1587—1633)
• FIELD, STEPHEN JOHNSON (1816-1899)
• FIELD, WILLIAM VENTRIS FIELD, BARON (1813-1907)

Field, near See also:

• WARE

Ware . This, however, was promptly suppressed by Cromwell . During the twelve months which immediately preceded the See also:

• EXECUTION (from Lat. ex-sequor, exsecutus, follow or carry out)

execution of the king the Levellers conducted a lively agitation in favour of the ideas expressed in the Agreement of the people, and in See also:

• JANUARY

January 1648 Lilburne was arrested for using seditious See also:

• LANGUAGE (adapted from the Fr. langage, from langue, tongue, Lat. lingua)

language at a See also:

• MEETING (from " to meet," to come together, assemble, 0. Eng. metals ; cf. Du. moeten, Swed. mota, Goth. gamotjan, &c., derivatives of the Teut. word for a meeting, seen in O. Eng. Wit, moot, an assembly of the people; cf. witanagemot)

meeting in See also:

• LONDON

London . But no success attended these and similar efforts, and their only result was that the Levellers regarded Cromwell with still greater suspicion .

See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

Early in 1649, just after the death of the king, the Levellers renewed their activity . They were both numerous and dangerous, and they stood up, says Gardiner, " for an exaggeration of the See also:

• DOCTRINE

doctrine of parliamentary supremacy." In a pamphlet, England's New Chains, Lilburne asked for the dissolution of the See also:

• COUNCIL (Lat. concilium, from cum, together, and the root cal, to call)

council of See also:

• STATE
• STATE, GREAT OFFICERS OF

state and for a new and reformed parliament . He followed this up with the Second See also:

• PART

Part of England's New Chains; his writings were declared treasonable by parliament, and in See also:

• MARCH
• MARCH (1) (from Fr. marcher, to walk; the earliest sense in French appears to be " to trample," and the origin has usually been found in the Lat. marcus, hammer; Low Lat. marcare, to hammer; hence to beat the road with the regular tread of a soldier: cf.
• MARCH, AUZIAS (c. "1395-1458)
• MARCH, EARLS OF
• MARCH, FRANCIS ANDREW (1825– )

March 1649 he and three other leading Levellers, See also:

• RICHARD
• RICHARD (d. 1184)
• RICHARD, FRANCOIS MARIE BENJAMIN (18,9-1908)
• RICHARD, HENRY (1812-1888)
• RICHARD, ST

Richard Over-ton, See also:

• WILLIAM
• WILLIAM (1143-1214)
• WILLIAM (1227-1256)
• WILLIAM (1J33-1584)
• WILLIAM (A.S. Wilhelm, O. Norse Vilhidlmr; O. H. Ger. Willahelm, Willahalm, M. H. Ger. Willehelm, Willehalm, Mod.Ger. Wilhelm; Du. Willem; O. Fr. Villalme, Mod. Fr. Guillaume; from " will," Goth. vilja, and " helm," Goth. hilms, Old Norse hidlmr, meaning
• WILLIAM (c. 1130-C. 1190)
• WILLIAM, 13TH

William Walwyn and See also:

• PRINCE
• PRINCE (Lat. princeps, from primus capio, " I am the first to take "; Ital. principe, Fr. prince)

Prince were arrested . The discontent which was spreading in the army was fanned when certain regiments were ordered to proceed to See also:

• IRELAND
• IRELAND, CHURCH
• IRELAND, CHURCH OF
• IRELAND, JOHN (1761-1842)
• IRELAND, JOHN (1838- )
• IRELAND, WILLIAM HENRY (1777-1835)

Ireland, and in See also:

• APRIL

April 1649 there was a meeting in London; but this was quickly put down by Fairfax and Cromwell, and its See also:

• LEADER, BENJAMIN WILLIAMS (1831– )

leader, See also:

• ROBERT
• ROBERT (1275—1343)
• ROBERT, HUBERT (1753-1808)
• ROBERT, LOUIS LEOPOLD (1794-1835)

Robert See also:

• LOCKYER, SIR JOSEPH NORMAN (1836– )

Lockyer, was shot . Risings at See also:

• BURFORD

Burford and at See also:

• BANBURY

Banbury were also suppressed without any serious difficulty, and the trouble with the Levellers was practically over . Gradually they became less prominent, but under the See also:

• COMMONWEALTH

Commonwealth they made frequent advances to the exiled king Charles II., and there was some danger from them early in 1655 when Wildman was arrested and Sexby escapedfrom England . The distinguishing See also:

• MARK
• MARK, CARL (1858– )
• MARK, GOSPEL OF ST
• MARK, ST

mark of the Leveller was a See also:

• SEA (in O. Eng. sae, a common Teutonic word; cf. Ger. See, Dutch Zee, &c.; the ultimate source is uncertain)
• SEA, COMMAND OF THE

sea-See also:

• GREEN, A
• GREEN, ALEXANDER HENRY (1832—1896)
• GREEN, DUFF (1791—1875)
• GREEN, JOHN RICHARD (1837—1883)
• GREEN, MATTHEW (1696-1737)
• GREEN, THOMAS HILL (1836-1882)
• GREEN, VALENTINE (1739–1813)
• GREEN, WILLIAM HENRY (.1825–1900)

green ribbon . Another but more harmless See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form of the same movement was the assembling of about fifty men on St See also:

• GEORGE
• GEORGE, 8TH MARQUESS OF TWEEDDALE (1787-1876)
• GEORGE, HENRY (1839—1897)
• GEORGE, LAKE
• GEORGE, SAINT (d. 303)

George's See also:

• HILL
• HILL (0. Eng. hyll; cf. Low Ger. hull, Mid. Dutch hul, allied to Lat. celsus, high, collis, hill, &c.)
• HILL, A
• HILL, AARON (1685-175o)
• HILL, AMBROSE POWELL
• HILL, DANIEL HARVEY (1821-1889)
• HILL, DAVID BENNETT (1843–1910)
• HILL, GEORGE BIRKBECK NORMAN (1835-1903)
• HILL, JAMES J
• HILL, JOHN (c. 1716-1775)
• HILL, MATTHEW DAVENPORT (1792-1872)
• HILL, OCTAVIA (1838– )
• HILL, ROWLAND (1744–1833)
• HILL, SIR ROWLAND (1795-1879)

Hill near Oatlands in See also:

• SURREY
• SURREY, EARLDOM OF
• SURREY, HENRY HOWARD, EARL OF (1518?-1547)

Surrey . In April 1649 these " True Levellers" or " Diggers," as they were called, took See also:

• POSSESSION
• POSSESSION (Lat. possessio, possidere, to possess)

possession of some unoccupied ground which they began to cultivate . They were, however, soon dispersed, and their leaders were arrested and brought before Fairfax, when they took the opportunity of denouncing landowners . It is interesting to See also:

• NOTE
• NOTE (Lat. nota, mark, sign, from noscere, to know)

note that Lilburne and his colleagues objected to being designated Levellers, as they had no See also:

• DESIRE

desire to take away " the proper right and See also:

• TITLE (0. Fr. title, mod. titre, from Lat. titulus)

title that every See also:

• MAN
• MAN, ISLE OF (anc. Mona)

man has to what is his own." Cromwell attacked the Levellers in his speech to parliament in See also:

• SEPTEMBER (Lat. septem, seven)

September 1654 (See also:

• CARLYLE, ALEXANDER (1722-1805)
• CARLYLE, JOSEPH DACRE (1759-18o4)
• CARLYLE, THOMAS (1795-1881)

Carlyle, Cromwell's Letters and Speeches, Speech II.) . He said: " A nobleman, a See also:

• GENTLEMAN (from Lat. gentilis, " belonging to a race or gens," and " man "; Fr. gentilhomme, Span. gentil hombre, Ital. gentil huomo, in its original and strict signification, a term denoting a man of good family, the Lat. generosus (its invariable transl

gentleman, a See also:

• YEOMAN

yeoman; the distinction of these; that is a See also:

• GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good See also:

• INTEREST

interest of the nation, and a great one .

The `natural' magistracy of the nation, was it not almost trampled under See also:

• FOOT

foot, under despite and contempt, by men of Levelling principles ? I beseech you, for the orders of men and ranks of men, did not that Levelling principle tend to the reducing of all to an equality ? Did it `consciously' think to do so; or did it `only unconsciously' practise towards that for See also:

• PROPERTY

property and interest ? `At all events,' what was the purport of it but to make the See also:

• TENANT (from Lat. tenere, to hold)

tenant as liberal a See also:

• FORTUNE, ROBERT (1813-188o)

fortune as the landlord ? Which, I think, if obtained, would not have lasted See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long." In 1724 there was a rising against enclosures in See also:

• GALLOWAY
• GALLOWAY, JOSEPH (1731-1803)
• GALLOWAY, THOMAS (1796-1851)

Galloway, and a number of men who took part therein were called Levellers or Dyke-breakers (A . See also:

• LANG, ANDREW (1844— )
• LANG, KARL HEINRICH, RITTER VON (1764-1835)

Lang, See also:

• HISTORY

History of See also:

• SCOTLAND
• SCOTLAND, CHURCH OF
• SCOTLAND, EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF

Scotland, vol. iv.) . The word was also used in Ireland during the 18th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century to describe a See also:

• SECRET (Lat. secretum, hidden, concealed)

secret revolutionary society similar to the Whiteboys . (A . W . H .