He was a ruined merchant who taught peasants to live in a way similar to primitive. People survived, and their leader was strengthened in the belief that such an order of things was pleasing to God.
The Renaissance gave humanity such a philosophical trend as utopianism. Many pundits have expressed their hypotheses as to how the structure of society should be so that everyone suffices. Our hero went a little further - he organized people to build an ideal world of justice and equality.
early years
Gerard was born in October 1609. His father Edward lived with his family in Wigan and was a merchant. He sold expensive overseas fabrics. His income was decent, because he raised his son in luxury. The heir to the merchant easily mastered the letter and score, which pleased the parents. In their opinion, the boy did not need a more specialized education.
The city of Wigan where Gerard Winstenley was born and raised
Winstenley began work as a teenager, helping his father. Having matured, he opened his own business, offering customers a ready-made dress. In 1630, the young entrepreneur wished to separate from the family business, for which he received the blessing of his parent. In addition to parting words, the old man provided his child with letters of recommendation to his partners. To make a career and business guy went to the capital.
Independent life
In London, our hero had to take the place of a student in the Guild of Merchants and Tailors. Only in 1638 his skill was recognized and accepted on an equal footing in a merchant organization. That was very helpful - Gerard met Susan King and was about to marry her. The bride's father, William, was a doctor, he came from the poor and achieved everything in his life himself, therefore he presented high demands on the groom. In 1639, he led his daughter to the altar and transferred the care of her to Mr. Winstenley.
The conflict between King Charles I and Parliament led to the outbreak of civil war in 1642. Gerard Winstenley supported the idea of overthrowing the monarch and expressed his views in pamphlets, which he printed for his money. During the battles, the demand for the luxurious outfits he sold fell. The year of adventures of a novice politician ended with the ruin of his shop. Spouses would starve if William King had not intervened. He invited the couple to move to him in the village of Cobham in Surrey.
Cromwell’s troops on the march. Modern drawing
Fighter for equality
Father-in-law was not going to feed his son-in-law for nothing. The former rich man was forced to make his contribution to the economy, working as a shepherd. He met with the difficult everyday life of local peasants. In his spare hours, the unfortunate sought solace in reading the Bible. There were no calls for humility in the lines of the Holy Scripture, but there were many interesting thoughts that related to the just structure of life.
In front of fellow villagers, Gerard Winstenley called for a change in the usual way to permanently get rid of the power of the monarch. He described the methods in detail, and the ordinary people liked them. In April 1649, rebels captured the hill of St. George near the village and plowed it up. This community called itself diggers, or diggers. According to the charter proposed by our hero, the land should be expropriated from the aristocracy and cultivated by joint efforts. Products had to be distributed according to need, and anyone who joined the commune immediately received everything they needed.
Gerard Winstenley agitates the peasants. Vintage engraving
Commune
In the conditions of the civil war, such orders in a small group of peasants were advantageous. The neighbors noticed the success of the diggers and began to learn from their experience. Naturally, there was no smell of communism here. Exhausting work and need were constant companions of the comrades Winstenley. But commoners of that era had modest requests. A piece of bread on the table allowed them to avoid the temptation to become robbers or vagabonds and die from a blade or hunger. It resembled the primitive way of life of the first farmers and saved lives.
Residents of the commune caused discontent among the aristocracy. Landowners did not want to give them their allotments for free. The fact that the rebel leader claimed that the self-capture of abandoned arable lands was pleasing to God caused particular excitement. In 1650, the nobles hired soldiers who defeated the village. Winstenley fled to Hartwardshire and was hired by the manager on Lady Eleanor Davis's estate.
Soldiers disperse diggers. Vintage engraving
