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.