Diggers

Diggers were a group of 17th-century English agrarian socialists who sought to establish common land and promote communal farming. Emerging during the English Civil War in the 1640s, they opposed private property and believed that land should be accessible to everyone for cultivation. Led by figures like Gerard Winstanley, the Diggers set up small communities, or “projects,” where they cultivated plots of land. Their ideas about equality, social justice, and land rights influenced later movements and discussions around property ownership and communal living. The Diggers are often seen as early advocates for social reform and cooperative economics.