‘The World Turn’d Upside Down’: Radical Groups in the Civil War and Interregnum (1646 – 1660)

ACADEMIC TALK
Watch the lecture by Laurence Raran below and don’t forget to take a look at the extra resources and have a go at the activity at the end.

‘The World Turn’d Upside Down’: Radical Groups in the Civil War and Interregnum (1646 – 1660)

Laurence Raran

What happens when ‘the world is turn’d upside down’? When civil war ravages a land? When social order is broken down? One thing that occurs is an increase in radicalism as groups begin to question the status quo and traditional understandings of the world. This is what happened during the first half of the 17^th century.

Using the lecture as the context for these woodcuts, consider each of these woodcuts and comment on their content.

Source 1

The World Turn’d Upside Down, Thomason Tracts (1646)

What does this pamphlet suggest about the state of England in the 1640s?

Point out some of the specific ‘upside down’ features in this pamphlet.

Source 2

The Quakers Dream or The Devil’s Pilgrimage in England, pub. in 1655 (engraving) (b&w photo) by English School, (17th century); Private Collection; English

What does this source say about the Quakers?

What does this source suggest about the reputation of the Quakers?

Is this source a reliable account of the Quaker movement?

Source 3

What does this source say about the Ranters?

What does it suggest about their reputation?

Are there similarities in presentation to the Quaker’s Dream?

Is this a reliable source to understand the Ranter movement?