9past horizons Between 28th October and 9th November 1647, after the defeat of King Charles 1, soldiers and officers of Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army held discussions on the constitution and future of England. Known as the Putney Debates, these talks were far- reaching and heralded the way for many of the civil liberties we value today. Should suffrage ( a civil right to vote) be limited only to property- holders? Would democratic changes lead to anarchy? Should there still be a king or lords? This historic event, forced by the Leveller movement, saw ordinary soldiers take on generals to argue for greater democracy and to provide a platform for ' common people' to make their voices heard. by james bull continued ? ? Re- telling a forgotten past

past horizons10 Bringing these historic debates back to life, the Tower Hamlets Trayned Bandes re- enacted the event as part of the 360th anniversary celebrations held at St. Mary the Virgin Church, Putney, in October 2007. This marked one of the key milestones in the development of parliamentary democracy in England and across the world: the call for a written constitution, universal ( male) suffrage, a regular timetable for parliaments to sit, freedom of conscience and equality before the law - the agenda of the radical political Independents or Leveller movement. The re- enactors set up a soldiers' encampment in the churchyard overlooking the River Thames, and while the regimental goodwives set about cooking food for the assembled company, the menfolk were placed on guard duty, performed drill and a variety of other chores. On the Sunday morning the group was invited by the vicar to join the parishioners and their guests in St. Mary's for morning service. The readings were all associated with the Debates and included Colonel Thomas Rainsborough's poignant words ( below) which have resonated through the centuries: The congregation took communion to the accompaniment of the soldiers, goodwives and children singing period psalms, and singing continued in the churchyard, just as it had 360 years earlier. Later in the afternoon, as the bells of St. Mary's rang out, the regiment provided a guard of honour for civic dignitaries from the House of Commons including the local MP and Black Rod, who arrived in a replica of a seventeenth- century barge. The group aired the main points of the original Putney Debates, with some soldiers espousing the Leveller cause of widening the franchise while others argued for more caution. Throughout the weekend the public wandered freely through the camp, stopping soldiers and civilians to ask about the background to the event and the nature of mid- seventeenth century politics, and also about the weapons, equipment, clothing and even cooking recipes. The actual Debates ended in frustration for the Levellers, and their political manifesto, ' An Agreement of the People', was not adopted by the Army when the Debates concluded in November 1647. Nonetheless, the document contains much that we in the modern world now hold dear and some things that we still only aspire to. The Civil War was to continue until Charles I was defeated again, put on trial in London on 1st January 1649 and executed on the 30th January. It was only in 1867 that full male suffrage was achieved, and female suffrage had to wait until 1928 in the United Kingdom, but the starting point for this and other political rights can be traced back to the Putney Debates. For really I think that the poorest he that is in England hath a life to live, as the greatest he; and therefore truly, sir, I think it's clear, that every man that is to live under a government ought first by his own consent to put himself under that government. Pike charge Debating the issues