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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Snoobysoo (talk | contribs) at 17:39, 6 May 2015 (The creation of subsections as requested.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

  • Comment: The organisation is clearly notable, contrary to what the previous reviewer stated. A simple google search negates that notion. As for this submission, I recommend you at least try and organise this submission into relevant subsections, otherwise reviewing becomes extremely hard and tedious. Happy editing! FoCuSandLeArN (talk) 23:10, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
  • Comment: There is a lack of independent sources that provide coverage of this organisation. Smcg8374 (talk) 12:50, 18 July 2012 (UTC)

Acting Witan of Mercia

The Acting Witan of Mercia is a radical political organisation based in the greater Midlands of England. It believes that the United Kingdom is in illegal occupation of the ancient English[disambiguation needed] region of Mercia and the Acting Witan claims to be its de jure and acting government.

The Norman Yoke

The Acting Witan of Mercia is the most recent of a long line of movements in England which have tried to remove the perceived Norman yoke and return the land to the common people.[1][2]The origins of these historical movements lie in the political events of 1066. At the time, Mercia was part of an English confederation, along with six other regions, and had its own earl (Edwin Aelfgarsson) and army (the fyrd). The king of England from January 1066 was Harold Godwinesson, who had been elected by the national witan (council), the members of which included the earl of Mercia. In September 1066, England was invaded by the French-speaking Normans, from northern France, who killed Harold and destroyed the southern English fyrd fighting with him at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October. Nevertheless, the Mercians played a significant part in ongoing English resistance to the invaders, but the Norman Conquest of England was essentially completed by 1071 and Mercia was destroyed as a political region.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

The English Resistance

Over the millennium since the Conquest, history has recorded periodic uprisings and movements designed to overthrow the Norman, and subsequent British[disambiguation needed], political system in England.[9][10] The archetypal English hero is Robin Hood, a semi-mythical Anglo-Saxon outlaw, who supposedly inhabited Sherwood Forest, in Mercia, with a fellow band of land-dispossessed natives.[11] Whether Hood's existence is fact or fiction, the silvatici (the men of the woods) long continued English resistance against the Normans.[12]

English Peasant Revolts

In the fourteenth century, the Great Society, demanded the restoration of the Anglo-Saxon constitution and became a nationwide organisation. Its efforts to radically change the political situation culminated in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, in which the Kentish rebels called themselves 'men of Kent and Jutes', whilst in East Anglia there were demands for 'county kings' of the ancient North folk and South folk. The revolt, of perhaps 100,000 insurgents, was crushed by government forces, but a series of almost endless smaller-scale peasant revolts followed.[13]

The Levellers

The seventeenth century English Civil War began as a power struggle between the monarch and Parliament, but developed into a democratic English revolution galvanised by the idea of overthrowing the Norman yoke. In 1646, William Walwyn and Richard Overton effectively launched the Leveller movement when they published A Remonstrance of Many Thousand Citizens, which demanded that Parliament abolish the use of Norman French in the courts and free English people from all laws made after the Norman Conquest. The following year, John Lilburne claimed in Regal Tyranny Discovered that all political evils in England were traceable to the Conquest. Also in 1647, John Hare's book, St. Edwards Ghost, or Anti-Normanisme, argued that all Norman laws should be abolished and Anglo-Saxon laws restored. Nathaniel Bacon went further in his book, Historicall Discourse of the Uniformity of the Government of England, which urged the New Model Army to overthrow the monarchy and aristocracy so that 'we may attain the happinesse of our Fore-Fathers, the ancient Saxons'. The Levellers then drafted a new constitution for England, The Agreement of the People, which aimed at a restoration of past liberties, but a Leveller-inspired mutiny in the army was crushed at Burford in May 1649 and Parliament imposed strict censorship on literature.[14]

Tom Paine and the Return of Anglo-Saxon Freedoms

Nevertheless, numerous writers continued to campaign against the Norman yoke and Tom Paine frequently referred to the tyranny which the Conquest had inflicted on England, in his famous book, Rights of Man, which was published in 1791-1792. In it, he appealed for the overthrow of the monarchy and restoration of the sovereignty of the people, but was indicted for treason and fled to France.[15] Many more publications over the following 200 years kept alive the idea of the Norman yoke and the demand for the return of the freedoms of Anglo-Saxon England.[16]

The Movement for Middle England

In 1988, the Movement for Middle England was formed. It was the first modern organisation to demand the independence of the central area of England and was inspired by the Anglo-Saxon past and the long-standing campaigns against the Norman yoke. Its aim was 'To work for the full autonomy of Middle England within a devolved England.'[17]

The Mercia Movement

In 1993, breakaway members of MFME founded The Mercia Movement, which held its inaugural meeting on 19 August at Stourbridge.[18] The objective of the movement was 'To re-create a legal autonomous Mercia as an organic democracy, based on holistic principles.'[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] In 1997, the movement published The Mercia Manifesto: A blueprint for the future inspired by the past, a 128-page book, which outlined the situation as perceived by the movement, provided a detailed historical analysis of the previous millennium in England, stated the movement's vision and philosophy, and presented a whole range of policies for an independent Mercia. In essence, the manifesto advocated the development of a new society in the Midlands, based on communalism, organic democracy and ecological balance.[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] In 2001, the movement published A Draft Constitution For Mercia, a 20-page booklet, based on the principles of The Mercia Manifesto, which contained 28 Articles. The objective of its production was to put it before a regional constitutional convention for approval, amendment or rejection.[39][40][41][42]

The Mercian Constitutional Convention

The Mercian Constitutional Convention was formed in Birmingham on 17 March 2001 and decided to accept The Mercia Movement's draft constitution as the basis for its deliberations.[43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52] The convention debated the draft for over two years and passed a series of amendments to it, although the essence of the draft remained the same and most of its content was unaltered. The convention published the final draft of its work as The Constitution Of Mercia, a 21-page booklet, in 2003. It consisted of 28 Articles and numerous sub-articles and claimed to be 'the ultimate legal authority in Mercia'. The constitution offered the people of the wider Midlands a new holistic society based on organic democracy, co-operative community and ecological balance. The claimed territory of the region was stated in Article 1.1 to 'comprise its historic twenty shires (Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire) or such of these as find a common Mercian identity and wish to be included in the region'.[53][54][55][56][57] On 29 May 2003, three members of the convention ( Jeff Kent, Joyce Millington and David Bastable) publicly affirmed and declared the legal independence of Mercia, in Victoria Square, Birmingham, in the heart of the region.[58][59][60][61][62][63]

The Acting Witan of Mercia and its Campaigns

After the declaration of Mercian independence, the Mercian Constitutional Convention renamed itself the Acting Witan of Mercia, which aimed 'to spearhead the full democratisation of the region and the re-establishment of its de facto independence'.[64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71] On 29 May 2004, the first Mercian Independence Day anniversary, members of the Acting Witan launched a new currency for the region, the Mercian penny, in Victoria Square, Birmingham, and handed out the coins free to people who registered as citizens of Mercia.[72][73][74] By May 2009, over 2,000 people had registered as citizens of Mercia, which the Acting Witan pointed out contrasted strongly with the complete absence of citizens in the United Kingdom, with its inhabitants being merely subjects of the crown.[75][76] On 26 February 2010, outside the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, in Stoke-on-Trent, the convener of the Acting Witan (Jeff Kent) and the Acting Sheriff of Staffordshire (Philip Snow) made a declaration claiming the Staffordshire Hoard to be the property of the citizens of Mercia.[77][78][79]

References

  1. ^ Puritanism & Revolution, Essay 3, The Norman Yoke, Christopher Hill, ISBN 0-4362032-0-0, Secker & Warburg, 1958.
  2. ^ www.independentmercia.org
  3. ^ The Conquest of England, John Richard Green, Macmillan and Co., 1884.
  4. ^ 1066: The Story of a Year, Denis Butler, Anthony Blond Ltd., 1966.
  5. ^ 1066: The Year of the Conquest, David Howarth, Wm Collins Sons & Co Ltd, 1978.
  6. ^ The Death of Anglo-Saxon England, N. J. Higham, ISBN 0-7509-0885-8, Sutton Publishing Limited, 1997.
  7. ^ Hereward, Victor Head, ISBN 0-7509-1244-8, Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd, 1996.
  8. ^ The Mercia Manifesto: A blueprint for the future inspired by the past, pages 4, 5 and 38, The Mercia Movement, ISBN 0-9529152-1-9, Witan Books, 1997.
  9. ^ The English Rebel: One thousand Years of Troublemaking from the Normans to the Nineties, David Horspool, ISBN 978-0-141-02547-6, Penguin Books, 2010.
  10. ^ A Radical Reader: The struggle for change in England, 1381-1914, Christopher Hampton (editor), Penguin Books Ltd, 1984.
  11. ^ Liberty Against The Law, Essay 5, Robin Hood, and Essay 6, Robin Hood, Possessive Individualism and the Norman Yoke, Christopher Hill, ISBN 0-713-99119-4, The Penguin Press, 1996.
  12. ^ The English Resistance: The Underground War Against the Normans, Peter Rex, ISBN 0-7524282-7-6, Tempus Publishing Ltd, 2004.
  13. ^ Bondmen Made Free: Medieval Peasant Movements and the English Rising of 1381, Rodney Hilton, ISBN 9780-4150188-0-7, Routledge, 1995.
  14. ^ Puritanism & Revolution, Essay 3, The Norman Yoke, pages 61-75, Christopher Hill, ISBN 0-4362032-0-0, Secker & Warburg, 1958.
  15. ^ Puritanism & Revolution, Essay 3, The Norman Yoke, pages 90-93, Christopher Hill, ISBN 0-4362032-0-0, Secker & Warburg, 1958.
  16. ^ Puritanism & Revolution, Essay 3, The Norman Yoke, pages 93-111, Christopher Hill, ISBN 0-4362032-0-0, Secker & Warburg, 1958.
  17. ^ Movement for Middle England constitution.
  18. ^ The Mercia Movement minutes, 19. 8. 1993.
  19. ^ Wessex Wyvern, November 1999, No. 2, pages 2-3.
  20. ^ Cambridge Evening News, 22. 2. 2001, page 11.
  21. ^ Hackney Gazette, 1. 3. 2001, page 14.
  22. ^ South Wirral News, 9. 3. 2001, page 3.
  23. ^ The Sentinel Sunday, 11. 3. 2001, page 6.
  24. ^ Enfield Gazette, 16. 3. 2001, page 15.
  25. ^ Rutland & Stamford Mercury, 30. 5. 2003, page 9.
  26. ^ Tamworth Herald, 4. 6. 2003, page 7.
  27. ^ Is it time to get Anglo-Saxon about England's local government?, BBC News - www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17822919, 26. 4. 2012.
  28. ^ The Mercia Manifesto: A blueprint for the future inspired by the past, page 32, The Mercia Movement, ISBN 0-9529152-1-9, Witan Books, 1997.
  29. ^ Midlands Today, BBC TV, 22. 10. 1997.
  30. ^ Express & Star, 22. 10. 1997, page 6.
  31. ^ The Sentinel, 29. 10. 1997, page 11.
  32. ^ Gloucestershire Citizen, 5. 11. 1997.
  33. ^ Bedfordshire Times & Citizen, 6. 11. 1997, page 13.
  34. ^ The Late Show, BBC Radio Midlands, 20. 11. 1997.
  35. ^ Widowinde, No. 12, Winter 1997, page 26.
  36. ^ Alternative Green, No. 39, Summer 2008, pages 11 and 12.
  37. ^ Is it time to get Anglo-Saxon about England's local government?, BBC News - www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17822919, 26. 4. 2012.
  38. ^ The Mercia Manifesto: A blueprint for the future inspired by the past, The Mercia Movement, ISBN 0-9529152-1-9, Witan Books, 1997.
  39. ^ Hertfordshire on Sunday, 25. 2. 2001.
  40. ^ Biddulph Chronicle, 1. 6. 2001, page 20.
  41. ^ Alternative Green, No. 28, Summer 2001, page 3.
  42. ^ A Draft Constitution For Mercia, The Mercia Movement, ISBN 0-9529152-4-3, Witan Books, 2001.
  43. ^ Northampton Chronicle & Echo, 20. 2. 2001, page 5.
  44. ^ Derby Evening Telegraph, 23. 2. 2001.
  45. ^ Wirral News, 28. 2. 2001, page 11.
  46. ^ Enfield Advertiser, 14. 3. 2001, page 6.
  47. ^ Wessex Voice, No. 9, May 2003.
  48. ^ East London Advertiser, page 18, 22. 5. 2003.
  49. ^ Bedfordshire on Sunday, 25. 5. 2003.
  50. ^ Central News, Central TV, 29. 5. 2003.
  51. ^ The Birmingham Post, 29. 5. 2003, page 4.
  52. ^ The Constitution Of Mercia, The Mercian Constitutional Convention, page 3, ISBN 0-9529152-6-X, Witan Books, 2003.
  53. ^ Burton Mail, 29. 5. 2003, pages 44-45.
  54. ^ Sunday Mercury, 14. 10. 2007, pages 12-13.
  55. ^ Express & Star, 19. 10. 2007, page 25.
  56. ^ Sunday Mercury, 21. 10. 2007, page 41.
  57. ^ The Constitution Of Mercia, The Mercian Constitutional Convention, ISBN 0-9529152-6-X, Witan Books, 2003.
  58. ^ Bedfordshire on Sunday, 25. 5. 2003.
  59. ^ Buckinghamshire Herald, 28. 5. 2003.
  60. ^ Central News, Central TV, 29. 5. 2003.
  61. ^ Midlands Today, BBC TV, 29. 5. 2003.
  62. ^ Offa's Dyke Association Newsletter, Number 104, Spring 2007, page 22.
  63. ^ The Acting Witan of Mercia minutes and www.independentmercia.org/news.
  64. ^ Northampton Herald & Post, 25. 5. 2006, page 14.
  65. ^ Sunday Mercury, 14. 10. 2007, pages 12-13.
  66. ^ Sunday Mercury, 21. 10. 2007, page 41.
  67. ^ Is it time to get Anglo-Saxon about England's local government?, BBC News - bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17822919, 26. 4. 2012.
  68. ^ www.vice.com/enuk/read/we-asked-the-lunatic-fringe-of-uk-politics-about-their-ideal-Britain, 26. 2. 2013.
  69. ^ The Big Issue, 11-17. 3. 2013, No. 980, pages 1 and 20-21.
  70. ^ www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24431690, 23. 11. 2013.
  71. ^ The Constitution Of Mercia, back cover blurb, The Mercian Constitutional Convention, ISBN 0-9529152-6-X, Witan Books, 2003.
  72. ^ The Birmingham Post, 29. 5. 2004, page 4.
  73. ^ Widowinde, No. 134, Summer 2004, pages 38-39.
  74. ^ The Acting Witan of Mercia minutes and www.independentmercia.org/news.
  75. ^ Congleton Chronicle, 11. 3. 2010, page 20.
  76. ^ The Acting Witan of Mercia minutes.
  77. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/stoke/hi/peopleandplaces/history/newsid8539000/8539.
  78. ^ The Sentinel, 27. 2. 2010, page 2.
  79. ^ The Acting Witan of Mercia minutes.

Further reading

  • The Conquest of England, John Richard Green, Macmillan and Co., 1884.
  • 1066: The Story of a Year, Denis Butler, Anthony Blond Ltd., 1966.
  • 1066: The Year of the Conquest, David Howarth, Wm Collins Sons & Co Ltd, 1978.
  • The Death of Anglo-Saxon England, N. J. Higham, ISBN 0-7509-0885-8, Sutton Publishing Limited, 1997.
  • Hereward, Victor Head, ISBN 0-7509-1244-8, Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd, 1996.
  • The English Rebel: One thousand Years of Troublemaking from the Normans to the Nineties, David Horspool, ISBN 978-0-141-02547-6, Penguin Books, 2010.
  • A Radical Reader: The struggle for change in England, 1381-1914, Christopher Hampton (editor), Penguin Books Ltd, 1984.
  • Liberty Against The Law, Essay 5, Robin Hood, and Essay 6, Robin Hood, Possessive Individualism and the Norman Yoke, Christopher Hill, ISBN 0-713-99119-4, The Penguin Press, 1996.
  • The English Resistance: The Underground War Against the Normans, Peter Rex, ISBN 0-7524282-7-6, Tempus Publishing Ltd, 2004.
  • Bondmen Made Free: Medieval Peasant Movements and the English Rising of 1381, Rodney Hilton, ISBN 9780-4150188-0-7, Routledge, 1995.
  • Puritanism & Revolution, Essay 3, The Norman Yoke, Christopher Hill, ISBN 0-4362032-0-0, Secker & Warburg, 1958.
  • The Mercia Manifesto: A blueprint for the future inspired by the past, The Mercia Movement, ISBN 0-9529152-1-9, Witan Books, 1997.
  • A Draft Constitution For Mercia, The Mercia Movement, ISBN 0-9529152-4-3, Witan Books, 2001.
  • The Constitution Of Mercia, The Mercian Constitutional Convention, ISBN 0-9529152-6-X, Witan Books, 2003.
  • www.independentmercia.org
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