Richard Overton was an English man born in 1599. He was renowned as a pamphleteer. A pamphleteer is a person who creates or publishes pamphlets that deal mainly with controversial issues. Mr. Overtone was also a Leveller. A Leveller was a follower of a certain political movement during the English civil war that emphasized on equality, justice, and religious tolerance.
Details on the life of this man are not well known. It is believed he matriculated from Queens College Cambridge and worked at Southwak as an actor and playwright. It was here that he authored pamphlets against the House of Commons and the bishops of the Church of England. This action made him an enemy of the government. He was incarcerated twice in England, but was set free on 16th of September, 1647.
It is approximated that Overtone wrote about fifty articles. His most famous works are ‘Articles of High Treason’ and ‘The Just Man in Bonds.’ His works were mainly in support of equality among all people.
He was also a staunch believer in popular sovereignty and wanted the outlawing of monarchical rule. These beliefs led him to join forces with two other Englishmen, namely Edward Sexby and John Wildman in 1655 in a plot to overthrow the government. When the coup failed, he was imprisoned. He was unconditionally released on 16th September, 1647. He decided to go into exile and finally fled to Flanders in the year 1655.
Before his death in 1664 at the age of sixty five, he took part in Leveller and Loyalist conspiracies and plots against the government. These conspiracies and plots did not bear fruit and they amounted to nothing. Overton later returned to England. Upon his return, he published a revised version of his treatise ‘Man Wholly Mortal.’
Lots of details on Richard Overton and his life remain scant and obscure. This is as a result of spending most of his life in hiding and running from the law. In fact some of his articles may have gotten lost in history due to the fact that he wrote them anonymously. Many people however agree that he intended to end political and legal privilege which served to enrich members of the governing class only and forget about the common man. richard overton
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