William Everard (Digger) facts for kids
William Everard was an important early leader of a group called the Diggers. He was born around 1602 and was last heard from in 1651.
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William Everard's Early Life and Army Days
William Everard was born in Reading, England, around May 1602. His father, also named William, was a farmer. In 1616, young William moved to London to learn a trade. He trained to be a tailor with the Merchant Taylors' Company.
In 1642, he took the Protestation Oath. This was a promise to support the Protestant religion and the King. Less than a year later, a William Everard worked as a scout for the Parliament's army. He helped gather information in the Berkshire and Oxfordshire areas.
It's thought he might have been captured by the Royalists. We don't hear about him again until 1647. At that time, an army officer named William Everard signed a petition. This petition shared the complaints of the army led by Sir Thomas Fairfax. He was later removed from the army. This happened in late 1647 or early 1648. He was accused of planning against King Charles I.
Trouble and the Diggers Movement
In 1648, William Everard was briefly put in prison in Kingston, Surrey. This was for causing a disturbance. His friend, Gerrard Winstanley, wrote a paper defending him. In March 1649, Everard again appeared before a local official. This was for causing trouble in Staines Church.
Soon after, in April 1649, Everard went to St George's Hill in Weybridge, Surrey. He joined the Diggers community with four other people. By the end of that week, about thirty more people had joined them. The group called themselves the True Levellers.
Meeting General Fairfax
Before the month was over, people complained about the Diggers' actions. The complaints went to the Council of State, which was like the government's main committee. A group of soldiers was sent to break up the Diggers. They took Everard and Winstanley, who were seen as the leaders, to London. They were brought before General Fairfax.
On April 20, they met Fairfax. They famously refused to take off their hats in front of him. This was seen as very disrespectful at the time. They explained why their community was important. They used the same ideas found in the Diggers' first public statement. This statement was called The True Levellers Standard Advanced. It was published around the same time. William Everard's name was on this statement. However, after this, he was no longer involved with the Diggers.
Later Life and Challenges
In May 1649, some newspapers reported that William Everard was involved in the Levellers' Burford Mutiny. This was a rebellion by some soldiers. However, it seems this was a mistake. They likely confused him with another army leader, Captain Robert Everard.
In August 1649, Everard was reported to be in Bradfield, Berkshire. The local church leader there was John Pordage. They might have known each other from Reading. The next summer, Everard returned to Bradfield to work during the harvest. There was a lot of strange behavior in the village. People were acting oddly, almost like they were in a trance. Some local people accused Everard of being a conjurer or a witch.
Later that same month, Everard was in London. He was seen acting in a "frantic" way. Soon after, in October 1650, he was arrested and put in Bridewell prison. The Council of State believed his strange speeches were not real. They thought he was pretending. He was not the only one arrested for this. In December, it was reported that "many of Ranting Everard's party are lunatick." They were said to be very upset with the government. Some of them were even whipped.
Over the next few months, Everard's behavior got worse. His wife had asked for help earlier. In March 1651, he was moved to Bethlem Hospital. This was for his own safety and the safety of others. What happened to him after that is not known.
