Gerrard Winstanley the Digger.

 

The Digger colony on St. George's Hill in Weybridge, Surrey, is now one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in the UK. This is a gated community with a golf course, which is full of multi-millionaires, celebrities, and Russian oligarchs. It has been claimed that Vladimir Putin's daughter bought a house there.

Gerrard Winstanley and many of the others associated with the colony on St George's Hill, referred to themselves as the 'True Levellers' rather than 'Diggers' which was a derogatory term that was used by their detractors. They were agrarian communists. They started to cultivate the land on 1 April 1649 and were there for about 12 months. There were also Ranters among them who seem to have caused Winstanley a number of problems, believing in free sex, the virtues of sinfulness, and indolence. Initially, local people didn't take much notice of the Diggers but later on the colony was attacked by local residents, farmers and soldiers, who beat people up, stole tools and set fire to property. Much of the violence was instigated and coordinated by local landlords like Francis Drake, Lord of the manor of Walton. Court proceedings were also started for trespass and fines and costs were imposed. Some were even sent to prison.

Gerrard Winstanley and William Everard, two of the Diggers, appeared before General Fairfax on Friday 20th April 1649. Both men refused to take off their hats to Fairfax and after questioning both of them, Fairfax seems to have thought them harmless individuals and believed the local worthies, were overreacting. He considered Everard, a former soldier, slightly mad. Fairfax met the Diggers again at St George's Hill on the 29th May 1649 and although "he told them off", he seemed satisfied that they were no threat to public order and were for non-violence.

The groups position was one of passive resistance and they believed it was a social duty not to work for the rich. The idea of working for wages was anathema to them. The local property owners saw things differently. They saw the Diggers as a threat to their property and feared their ideas could spread further. The following month (June), the colony was attacked by soldiers who were hired by the local landowners.

The adoption of the name Leveller, by Winstanley and his group of communists, upset the leadership of the Leveller movement. They made it clear in several publications that they were not in favour of the expropriation of private property and didn't believe in the equality of social classes. In fact, they didn't support 'levelling' at all. The communists moved from St George's Hill to nearby Cobham Heath in early 1650.

Other Digger colonies were also established in other areas of the country in Buckinghamshire, Kent and Northamptonshire. In 1657, Winstanley and his wife Susan, were given a gift of property by his father-in-law William King. The property was called Ham Manor in Cobham. In 1659, Winstanley became overseer of the poor and in 1671, he was elected Chief Constable of Elmbridge, Surrey. He died in 1676, aged 66.