Diggers
 True Levellers/The Diggers    | |
|---|---|
 Wigan Diggers Festival participant | |
The Diggers were a group of religious and political dissidents in England, associated with agrarian socialism. Gerrard Winstanley and William Everard, amongst many others, were known as True Levellers in 1649, in reference to their split from the Levellers, and later became known as Diggers.[1]
The Diggers ‘nickname’ came from their belief that the land should be available to every person to dig and sow, so that everyone, rich or poor, could live, grow and eat by the sweat of their own brows, as according to them “The earth was made to be a common treasury for all."
The Diggers also advocated absolute human equality including equality between men and women which in the 1600s was a very radical idea indeed. Instead of simply voicing their opinion through the books and other papers Gerrard Winstanley wrote, he and the Diggers, who consisted of mainly poor families that had no land of their own (as land was only owned by the rich) decided to take direct action by taking over common land that belonged to no one, and which was not in use, and started to farm it, so as to allow everyone who worked the land to eat.
At first this went well, but unsurprisingly the ideas of the Diggers were considered extremely dangerous by those with a vested interest in the preservation of privilege, property and power. As more of these communities appeared rich land owners and the corrupt government sent soldiers to beat them, destroy their homes and crops and drive them off the land they were occupying.[2]
Contents
A ragged band they called the Diggers
| Billy Bragg: "The World Turned Upside Down" |
Billy Bragg sings about a group called the Diggers who tried to change the system of land ownership in England during the Civil War period:
- In 1649 to St George's Hill
- A ragged band they called the Diggers came to show the people's will
- They defied the landlords
- They defied the laws
- They were the dispossessed reclaiming what was theirs
- We come in peace they said to dig and sow
- We come to work the lands in common and to make the waste grounds grow
- This Earth divided we will make whole so it will be a common treasury for all
- The sin of property we do disdain
- No man has any right to buy and sell the Earth for private gain
- By theft and murder they took the land
- Now everywhere the walls spring up at their command
- They make the laws to chain us well
- The clergy dazzle us with heaven or they damn us into hell
- We will not worship the God they serve
- The God of greed who feed the rich while poor men starve
- We work we eat together
- We need no swords
- We will not bow to the masters or pay rent to the lords
- We are free men, though we are poor
- You Diggers all stand up for glory stand up now
- From the men of property the orders came
- They sent the hired men and troopers to wipe out the diggers claim
- Tear down their cottages, destroy their corn
- They were dispersed but still the vision lingers on
- You Poor take courage you Rich take care
- This Earth was made a common treasury for everyone to share
- All things in common, all people one
- We come in peace the orders came to cut them down[3]
Wigan Diggers Festival
The 11th annual event celebrating the life of socialist Gerrard Winstanley was due to have taken place in Wigan town centre on Saturday 10 September 2022, but was cancelled following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.[4] A statement on Facebook said:
“Unfortunately, Wigan Council have taken a decision to cancel public events in the immediate future, including The Diggers Festival. We are sorry to share this news at what is undoubtably a sad time for so many. The place where the festival was supposed to be taking place will now be the focal point for official mourning within the borough.
"At this stage we do not know what will happen to the festival but we will update you as soon as we know.
"We hope that you understand that all events and decisions connected with this are completely beyond our control.”[5]
Further explanation
One cancelled event was the Wigan Diggers Festival, which celebrates the life of Gerrard Winstanley, founder of the Diggers or True Levellers movement after the English civil wars of 1642 to 1651.
Winstanley was born in Wigan, in what is now Greater Manchester, and was a radical campaigner for what is now seen as a form of agrarian communism. His followers set up colonies on common land.
His belief was “the earth shall be a common treasury for all” and he welcomed the overthrow of the oppressor Charles I, the namesake of the new King and the Queen’s eldest son.
Organisers of the festival said:
“Unfortunately, Wigan Council have taken a decision to cancel public events in the immediate future, including The Diggers Festival.
“We are sorry to share this news at what is undoubtedly a sad time for so many.
“The place where the festival was supposed to be taking place will now be the focal point for official mourning within the borough.
“At this stage, we do not know what will happen to the festival, but we will update you as soon as we know.”[6]
References
- ↑ "The true Levellers standard advanced (1649)"
- ↑ "Gerrard Winstanley & The Diggers"
- ↑ "Billy Bragg sings about a group called the Diggers who tried to change the system of land ownership in England during the Civil War period"
- ↑ "Wigan Diggers’ Festival Cancelled"
- ↑ "Wigan Diggers Festival cancelled after death of Queen"
- ↑ "TUC postpones annual Congress and unions suspend strikes"
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