Richard Overton

Roger Pooley (University of Keele)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.04: English Writing and Culture of the Seventeenth Century, 1625-1688.
Vol. editors: Jennifer Brady (Rhodes College), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Neil Forsyth (Université de Lausanne), Claire Preston (Queen Mary, University of London), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University)

Dates

Born c. 1620
Died c. 1680
Activity c. 1640-1663

Places

Born in England
Active in England; Netherlands

Activities

Primary

Pamphleteer
Printer

Resources

Richard Overton was a key member of the Leveller movement in the 1640s; he was a gifted satirist and pamphleteer. The centrepiece of his writing, the Martin Marpriest tracts, deserve an honoured place in the history of seventeenth century prose for their energy and humour. In his work jointly authored with other Leveller leaders Overton is also a political thinker of some originality

There is no reliable information about his early life. He may have matriculated at Queen's College, Cambridge in 1631; he may have been a clergyman for a time, or fought in the Bishops Wars. However, he seems to have begun writing in the 1640s. Vox Borealis, a pro-Scottish pamphlet in verse, is probably his first, though it is not …

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943 words

Citation: Pooley, Roger. "Richard Overton". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 May 2005 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3447, accessed 25 November 2024.]

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