This book is the first full-length modern study of the Diggers, who were among the most remarkable of the radical groups to emerge during the English Revolution of 1640-60. The book also provides a reassessment of the Digger leader Gerrard Winstanley, a figure who has attracted great interest in recent years.

John Gurney (1960-2014) was a Visiting Fellow in the School of Historical Studies, Newcastle University and author of Brave Community: The Digger Movement in the English Revolution (2007).

PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
1: Parish, community and social relations in Cobham
Family, occupation and social structure
Manor and parish
Population
Population pressures
Landlords and tenants
Chapter 2: The parish of Cobham and the Civil War
The coming of war
Rural popular protest
The impact of war
The costs of war
Social conflict
The manor of Cobham during the Civil War
Chapter 3: Gerrard Winstanley
Family background
Marriage
Winstanley's bankruptcy
The move to Cobham
Surrey politics
Chapter 4: Winstanley: the early writings
Influences
Towards the restoration of community
Context
Chapter 5: The Diggers on St George's Hill
The first phase
Identifying the Diggers
St George's Hill
Chapter 6: The Diggers and the local community
Reactions to the Diggers in Walton
The Diggers in Cobham
The end of the Digger colony
Chapter 7: Aftermath