Thomas Prince (''

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

'' 1630–1657) was a prominent

Leveller The Levellers were a political movement active during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its populi ...

Biography

Prince was born in West Garforth, Yorkshire. He went to London where he apprenticed in, and in due time joined, the

Worshipful Company of Clothworkers The Worshipful Company of Clothworkers was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1528, formed by the amalgamation of its two predecessor companies, the Fullers (incorporated 1480) and the Shearmen (incorporated 1508). It succeeded to the position of t ...

. Although a member of the Clothworkers he was a cheesemonger by trade. He settled in the parish of St Martin Orgar where, although an Independent, he stayed within the Anglican church. Prince supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War and served in the Blue regiment of London's trained bands until invalided out after being badly wounded in 1643 at the

First Battle of Newbury The First Battle of Newbury was a battle of the First English Civil War that was fought on 20 September 1643 between a Royalist army, under the personal command of King Charles, and a Parliamentarian force led by the Earl of Essex. Following ...

. During the war he supplied he Parliamentary armies with cheese and butter and became moderately wealthy. In November 1647 he was one of the men who presented the '' Agreement of the People'' to Parliament and was one of those imprisoned for this act. By December he was free and campaigning for the Levellers cause. In 1648 he continued to agitate and became recognised by both supported and detractors as a prominent Leveller. He was appointed as one of the Levellers' treasurers and in December was a signature to the petition presented to Sir

Thomas Fairfax Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron (17 January 161212 November 1671), also known as Sir Thomas Fairfax, was an English politician, general and Parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War. An adept and talented comman ...

, the Army commander, objecting to the Army's dismissal of the second ''Agreement of the People''. In March 1649 he was arrested with the other Leveller leaders:

John Lilburne John Lilburne (c. 161429 August 1657), also known as Freeborn John, was an English political Leveller before, during and after the English Civil Wars 1642–1650. He coined the term "'' freeborn rights''", defining them as rights with which eve ...

, Richard Overton, and William Walwyn, and incarcerated in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sepa ...

when the Levellers published a tract against the military government (the second part of) ''Englands New Chaines Discovered''. While in the Tower the prisoners continued to publish pamphlets. Two of these can be directly linked to Prince: ''The Picture of the Councel of State'', contains Prince's account of his arrest and examination by members of the Council of State, and ''The Silken Independents Snare Broken'', a reply by Prince to an attack upon the Levellers by some leading London Independents. Prince was released along with the other leading Leveller prisoners after Lilburne was found not guilty of high treason at his trial in October 1649. Prince continued to live in London until at least 1657 and was mentioned by Lilburne as one who would provide security for him if he were allowed to return from exile. Prince also spoke up for Lilburne at his 1653 trial.

Family

Prince married Elizabeth; they had two children who were baptised in the parish of St Martin Orgar. One died as an infant.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prince, Thomas Levellers People from Garforth Cheese retailers 17th-century births 17th-century deaths