Medieval & Early Modern
Gerrard Winstanley
1609–1676 · Digger
The earth is a common treasury, and enclosure is theft.
In their words
“The earth was made a common treasury for all.”
In 1649 Winstanley led the Diggers onto common land at St George's Hill, arguing that monarchy and enclosure together had stolen the earth from the people who work it. He wanted land restored to common use, laws shortened and magistrates who served rather than ruled. The colony was beaten off the ground within a year, but his pamphlets are the first modern case for economic as well as political freedom.
Why it matters for freedom
He tied political liberty to economic liberty, insisting a vote means nothing to a man with no ground to stand on.
Who they stood against
the landlords and the army that crushed the commons at St George's Hill