The Levellers in Kempsey

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• About the Levellers
• The Levellers in Kempsey
• Reference

About the Levellers
The Levellers were a puritanical political and religious group who helped Cromwell in the Civil War. They were called Levellers because they believed in religious freedom and that social distinctions should be levelled by more men being allowed to vote. Their leader was John Lilburne. For more detailed information on the Levellers, click here.

The Levellers in Kempsey
Captain Samuel Sandys wrote to his father, "At Kempsey there are 40-50 persons calling themselves Levellers, who commit such mischievous things that their neighbours are afraid of them. Some of the suspected have been brought before Sir Francis Russell but nobody dares to give evidence against them. Sir Edward Seabright sent for a party of horse thinking to surprise them at one of their houses, but hearing of it dispersed, pursued by a troop of horse to the woods, where they stood and called the horse cowardly rogues, asked what they would have with Robin Hood and Little John and fired a pistol or gun at them."

"In the night they kill fat cattle, and carry away the flesh, leaving the skin behind, they enter people's houses, throw down hayricks, break open smith's shops and thrown the anvil and other tools into the well, and leave a paper on the doors biding them to be gone by such a time otherwise they will burn them in their beds, they lay harrows with the teeth upwards in the highways to do passengers mischief, knock people off their horses in the night, borrow their money."

Reference
St. Mary's Church, Kempsey Worcestershire 1984 Kempsey Collection ISBN 0-9509914-0-6 Re-printed with additions 1990. Page 19

© 1999 Andy Morrall

Last updated 27^th September 1999.

E-mail: andymorrall@geocities.com

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