The middle decades of the 1600s saw the greatest upheaval that has yet occurred in Britain. It can and should be called The English Revolution. However, this Book doesn’t rehash how the New Model Army of the Long Parliament overcame the forces of King Charles I, executed the king and established a short-lived republic though in the end, the consequences of the Revolution were all to the advantage of the gentry and ruling classes.

What this book concentrates on are the attempts of various groups of the ‘common people’ to impose their own solutions to the problems of their time, in opposition to their so-called ‘betters’ who had called them into political action at the start of the 1640s. This revolt within The Revolution took many forms. Levellers, Diggers, and Fifth Monarchists offered new political solutions. The Diggers and Gerrard Winstanley offered new economic solutions. Baptists, Quakers, and Muggletonians offered new religious solutions. Others asked awkward questions about the institutions of the times and the beliefs of the time – Seekers, Ranters, and the Diggers again. All these groups and sects are dealt with in this amazing book about an incredible time, and left me with the feeling of a massive opportunity lost. The crucial turning was the defeat of the Leveller regiments at Burford in 1649 and perhaps the death of Henry Ireton in 1651. Ireton would have been a worthy successor to Oliver Cromwell.
This book will lead me to find out more about The Diggers and Gerrard Winstanley and who knows where that will lead. For me this is what marks a great book, it’s the start of a journey with no known destination.

Julian Worker is a writer of travel books, mystery stories, and fictional lists. His work can be seen here.