Thomas Prince (Leveller) facts for kids

Thomas Prince was an important person who lived in England during the 1600s. He was a key member of a group called the Levellers. The Levellers were a political group who wanted more rights and freedoms for ordinary people in England.

About Thomas Prince

Thomas Prince was born in a place called West Garforth in Yorkshire, England. When he was older, he moved to London. There, he became an apprentice, which means he learned a trade. He joined a group called the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers. Even though he was part of this group, his actual job was selling cheese, so he was a cheesemonger. He lived in a part of London called St Martin Orgar. He was a religious person who believed in independent churches but still stayed connected to the main Church of England.

Prince and the English Civil War

Thomas Prince supported the Parliament's side during the English Civil War. This was a big conflict in England between the King and Parliament. Prince joined a group of soldiers called the Blue regiment of London's trained bands. These were like local defense forces. In 1643, he was badly hurt in a battle called the First Battle of Newbury. Because of his injuries, he had to leave the army.

During the war, Thomas Prince helped the Parliament's army by supplying them with cheese and butter. This business made him quite wealthy.

A Leader of the Levellers

In November 1647, Thomas Prince was one of the people who gave a special document called the Agreement of the People to Parliament. This document outlined the Levellers' ideas for a fairer government. Because of this, he was put in prison. However, he was released by December and quickly started working to promote the Leveller cause.

By 1648, he was well-known as a very important Leveller leader. Both those who supported the Levellers and those who didn't recognized his influence. He was chosen as one of the Levellers' treasurers, meaning he managed their money. In December, he signed a petition given to Thomas Fairfax, who was the commander of the army. This petition protested against the army's decision to reject a second version of the Agreement of the People.

Imprisonment and Release

In March 1649, Thomas Prince was arrested along with other main Leveller leaders. These included John Lilburne, Richard Overton, and William Walwyn. They were sent to the Tower of London. This happened after the Levellers published a paper called Englands New Chaines Discovered, which criticized the military government (the army being in charge).

Even while they were in the Tower, the prisoners continued to write and publish pamphlets. Two of these writings are directly linked to Thomas Prince. One was called The Picture of the Councel of State, which included Prince's own story of how he was arrested and questioned. The other was The Silken Independents Snare Broken, which was Prince's response to an attack on the Levellers by some important London Independents.

Thomas Prince and the other Leveller leaders were set free in October 1649. This happened after John Lilburne was found not guilty of high treason, which is a very serious crime against the government. Prince continued to live in London until at least 1657. John Lilburne later mentioned Prince as someone who would help him if he was allowed to return from being forced to live outside the country. Prince also spoke up for Lilburne during his trial in 1653.

Family

Thomas Prince was married to a woman named Elizabeth. They had two children together. Both children were baptized in the parish of St Martin Orgar where they lived. Sadly, one of their children died when they were a baby.