Levellers
Overton helps define the emerging Leveller movement through the Remonstrance of Many Thousand Citizens, a radical petitionary text generally treated as one of the movement's founding documents
Role range: 1642-1649
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Richard Overton Biography and Timeline
Follow Richard Overton through 6 dated historical records for England.
Richard Overton, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
6Distinct records
1 of 1Page
1646–1649Years on this page
1646
Levellers
Overton is arrested after attacking the House of Lords, and his imprisonment strengthens the Leveller argument against arbitrary authority and unelected power
Role range: 1642-1649
Levellers
The soldiers in the New Model Army elect Agitators from each regiment to represent them; the Agitators are recognised by the Army commanders and sit on the General Council. Richard Overton is arrested for publishing a pamphlet attacking the House of Lords; during imprisonment he writes the influential Leveller manifesto "An Arrow Against All Tyrants and Tyranny"
Role range: 1642-1649
An Arrow Against All Tyrants and Tyranny
Overton publishes "An Arrow Against All Tyrants and Tyranny", a major Leveller statement against arbitrary government and imprisonment
Role range: 1642-1649
An Arrow Against All Tyrants
Overton publishes "An Arrow Against All Tyrants and Tyranny", a major Leveller statement against arbitrary government and imprisonment
Role range: 1642-1649
1649
Imprisonment
Overton is imprisoned in the Tower with Lilburne, Walwyn and Prince after the Council of State moves against the Leveller leadership
Role range: 1642-1649
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.