William Walwyn, c.1600-81 , was a Leveller. See Levellers (disambiguation) for alternative meanings. ...

The second son of Robert Walwyn of Newland in Worcestershire and grandson of the Bishop of Hereford, Walwyn was apprenticed to a London silk merchant. He married Anne Gundell in 1627, with whom he had 20 children, and became a master weaver in the same year. By 1632, he was a merchant and member of the Merchant Adventurers' Company. Walwyn's private study of the Bible, theology and philosophy led him to an acceptance of complete religious freedom and toleration of all sects, a view which he advocated in a series of seven tracts published anonymously between 1641-6. Newland could be Newland, Gloucestershire Newland, North Yorkshire Newland, Worcestershire This article consisting of geographical locations is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Worcestershire (pronounced ; abbreviated Worcs) is a county located in the West Midlands region of central England. ... The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Events A Dutch ship makes the first recorded sighting of the coast of South Australia. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library of Congress. ... Theology (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογια, logia, words, sayings, or discourse) is reasoned discourse concerning religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... For other uses, see Philosophy (disambiguation). ...

In October 1645, Walwyn published England's Lamentable Slaverie in protest at the imprisonment of John Lilburne whom he admired for his courage and commitment to the defence of liberty. The following year, Walwyn appealed to the House of Commons to free Lilburne from his imprisonment by the House of Lords. When the Commons ignored his appeal, Walwyn collaborated with Richard Overton in organising a petition: A Remonstrance of Many Thousand Citizens in July 1646. The Remonstrance is regarded as a founding document of the Leveller movement. Shortly after its publication, Overton was arrested for publishing further criticism of the Lords. Lilburne and Overton continued to publish their views whilst in prison, but it was Walwyn who organised and co-ordinated the protests of the burgeoning Leveller movement on their behalf. Between March and June 1647, he presented four petitions at the House of Commons calling for the release of the prisoners and for the implementation of reforms. Disillusioned at the Commons' condemnation of the petitions, Walwyn met with army Agitators and called upon the New Model Army to uphold the nation's rights and liberties against the corrupt Parliament. When the Army occupied London in August 1647 and drove out the Presbyterians, however, Walwyn was dismayed at Fairfax's refusal to hand over control of the City to civilians. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... Richard Overton (c. ... 1646 (MDCXLVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Agitator is a term for a person that actively supports some ideology or movement with speeches and especially actions. ... The New Model Army became the best known of the various Parliamentarian armies in the English Civil War. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ...

Walwyn collaborated with John Wildman in drafting the original version of the Leveller manifesto An Agreement of the People in October 1647, but did not take part in the subsequent Putney Debates between Levellers, Agitators and Grandees. Angered at the outbreak of the Second Civil War, Walwyn unfairly attacked the Grandees for causing unnecessary bloodshed in The Bloody Project (August 1648), in which he also proposed a restoration of the monarchy with the King's power limited and regulated by law. Although he objected to the Army's march on London in December 1648 that resulted in Pride's Purge, Walwyn participated in the Whitehall debates between representatives of the Levellers, the Independents and the Council of Officers. The continued attendance of Walwyn and Wildman after Lilburne and Overton walked out of the talks suggests that there was a split in the Leveller leadership at this time. Sir John Wildman (c. ... The Agreement of the People was a manifesto for the revolutionary changes to English parliamentary system, issued by the Levellers. ... The Putney Debates were a series of discussions between members of the New Model Army and the Levellers, concerning the makeup of a new constitution for England. ... The Second Civil War may refer to: Congo Civil War may refer to Second Congo War (1998–2002) Second English Civil War (1642–1646) Second Liberian Civil War started in 1999 Second Sudanese Civil War (1983–2005) A movie (1997), a political satire starring Beau Bridges and directed by Joe... 1648 (MDCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Prides Purge was the occasion when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the House of Commons all those who were not supporters of Oliver Cromwell. ... Whitehall, London, looking south towards the Houses of Parliament. ... The Army Council was a term first used in 1647 to describe an institution which cordinated the views of all levels of the New Model Army. ...

Walwyn withdrew from political activity after the King's execution and the establishment of the Commonwealth. He was unexpectedly arrested along with Lilburne, Overton and Thomas Prince in March 1649 following the publication of the second part of Lilburne's criticism of the new régime in England's New Chains Discovered. Walwyn later attributed his arrest to the hostility of the Independent congregations in London, which he had criticised for their lack of true piety and Christian virtue. Several weeks after his imprisonment, a savage attack on Walwyn was published entitled Walwin's Wiles, which was probably written by John Price, a member of the congregation of the Puritan divine John Goodwin. John Sidney Ernest Price (born July 22, 1937, Harrow, London) is a former English cricketer who played in 15 Tests from 1964 to 1972. ... John Goodwin (1594-1665) was an English preacher and religious writer. ...

The Leveller leaders were released from prison in November 1649 following Lilburne's trial and acquittal. Walwyn pledged his loyalty to the Commonwealth by taking the Oath of Engagement and returned to quiet family life at his home in Moorfields. He became interested in medicine and began practising as a physician during the 1650s, publishing several medical tracts and handbooks. He died in January 1681. In London, the Moorfields were one of the last pieces of open land in the City of London, near the Moorgate. ... Events March 4 - Charles II of England grants a land charter to William Penn for the area that will later become Pennsylvania. ...

References

This article incorporates text under a Creative Commons License by David Plant, the British Civil Wars and Commonwealth website http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/biog/index_w.htm Creative Commons, some rights reserved. ...