A man who was a mystery until his adult life, Richard Overton is remembered for his extensive leveler work during the civil war. He was born in England in 1599. No-one has any record of him before this, including where he spent his childhood which makes his life such a mystery, even to those close to him.
He started out a student at a prestigious college in Cambridge called Queens and reports say he excelled in many areas. He went from there into acting somewhere near Southwark and developed powerful relationships with the levelers. From this he became a strong protester handing out pamphlets and calling for the abolition of the monarchy. He also berated religions, politicians and the government with dire consequences.
Despite protesting against most forms of religion he himself was a baptist and was a member of his local church. His attack started on the Catholics with most of his writing aimed at the priests and those of high stature. The church of England also came under his scrutiny.
When he took a political stance it was always for the equal rights of all men. He detested the loss of life that the war was a part of through the fighting. Everything he wrote was generally anonymous in order to increase of the effect of the message he was trying to project.
In 1964 he wrote his most renowned piece, ‘Mans Mortalite’. Jailed twice in his life he was despised by the government and the feeling was seemingly mutual as they clashed many times despite him never holding the upper hand. His writing has been praised and stolen by many different and powerful men to use as their own.
Around ten years before he died he fled to Flanders at the height of his success as a writer and pamphleteer. He fought for causes that are still important in current society. If you want to know more about Richard Overton this is available in your area or via the internet. richard overton
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