Adams, Samuel (1722–1803), revolutionary politician in America, was born on 27 September 1722, one of three children (who survived to adulthood) of Samuel Adams (1689–1748) of Boston and his wife, Mary, née Fifield (d. after 1748). Adams inherited his political activism from his father, a brewer and member of the ...
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Adams, Samuel (1722–1803), revolutionary politician in America
William Pencak
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Ashton, Mark Christian (1960–1987), communist and gay activist
Daryl Leeworthy
Ashton, Mark Christian (1960–1987), communist and gay activist, was born at Woodfield Maternity Home, Oldham, Lancashire, on 19 May 1960, the first of two children and eldest son of Robert Ashton, cotton carder, and his wife, Joan, née Simpson. He grew up and was educated in ...
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Ball, John (d. 1381), chaplain and leader of the peasants' revolt
Andrew Prescott
Ball, John (d. 1381), chaplain and leader of the peasants' revolt, was of obscure origins. He had been an itinerant radical preacher for nearly twenty years before the revolt. He described himself, in letters circulated during the rising, as 'seynte marye prist...
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Bartlett, Josiah (1729–1795), physician and revolutionary politician in America
Dennis M. Conrad
Bartlett, Josiah (1729–1795), physician and revolutionary politician in America, was born on 21 November 1729 in Amesbury, Massachusetts, the seventh and youngest child of Stephen Bartlett, a shoemaker, and his wife, Hannah Webster. Josiah had little schooling before being apprenticed to a relative, ...
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Boland, Henry James [Harry] (1887–1922), tailor's cutter and Irish revolutionary
David Fitzpatrick
Boland, Henry James [Harry] (1887–1922), tailor's cutter and Irish revolutionary, was born on 27 April 1887 at 6 Dalymount Terrace, Phibsborough Road, north Dublin, the third of five children of James Henry Boland (1856–1895), paving overseer for the Dublin corporation, and Catherine (...
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Bowdoin, James (1726–1790), merchant and revolutionary politician in America
Eric v. d. Luft
Bowdoin, James (1726–1790), merchant and revolutionary politician in America, was born on 7 August 1726 in Boston, Massachusetts, the youngest child of James Bowdoin (1676–1747), a prosperous merchant and landowner, and his second wife, Hannah Portage (d. 1734). Known in his youth as ...
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Brandreth, Jeremiah [called the Nottingham Captain] (1786/1790–1817), revolutionary politician
John Belchem
Brandreth, Jeremiah [called the Nottingham Captain] (1786/1790–1817), revolutionary politician, is of unknown parentage. In the absence of information about his parentage or early life, rumour abounded following Brandreth's apprehension for his part in the Pentrich rising of 1817. To some, his sallow complexion suggested either a Gypsy or Irish provenance, while ...
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Chase, Samuel (1741–1811), revolutionary politician and judge in the United States of America
Jean B. Russo
Chase, Samuel (1741–1811), revolutionary politician and judge in the United States of America, was born on 17 April 1741 at his mother's home near Princess Anne, Somerset county, Maryland, the only child of the Revd Thomas Chase (c.1703–1779), Church of England...
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Chilembwe, John (c. 1870–1915), Baptist minister and anti-colonial rebel
Michael Twaddle
Chilembwe, John (c. 1870–1915), Baptist minister and anti-colonial rebel, was probably born at Sangano, Chiradzulu, in modern Malawi, of a Yao father (reportedly called Kaundama), and a Mang'anja or Cewa slave mother (reportedly called Nyangu). Very little is known of his early life. He acquired a basic knowledge of English from one of the earliest outposts of Scottish Presbyterian missionaries. In 1892 he became ‘cook boy’ to the recently arrived independent English missionary ...
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Clinton, George (1739–1812), revolutionary and politician in the United States of America
Edward Countryman
Clinton, George (1739–1812), revolutionary and politician in the United States of America, was born on 26 July 1739 in the hamlet of Little Britain, Ulster county, New York, one of two sons of Charles Clinton (1690–1773), landowner and surveyor, and Elizabeth Denniston (...
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Collins, Michael (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary and chairman of the provisional government of the Irish Free State
Peter Hart
Collins, Michael (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary and chairman of the provisional government of the Irish Free State, was born on 16 October 1890 at Woodfield, co. Cork, the third son and youngest of eight children of Michael John Collins (1815–1896) and Mary Anne O'Brien (1855–1907)...
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Despard, Edward Marcus (1751–1803), army officer and revolutionary
Malcolm Chase
Despard, Edward Marcus (1751–1803), army officer and revolutionary, was born into a military family in Queen's county, Ireland, on 6 March 1751; the youngest of six sons of William Despard and his wife, Jane. John Despard (1743/4–1829) was his brother. He joined the army as an ensign in 1766 and was promoted lieutenant in 1772, while stationed in ...
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Dickinson, John (1732–1808), revolutionary politician and writer in America
Benjamin H. Newcomb
Dickinson, John (1732–1808), revolutionary politician and writer in America, was born on 2 November 1732 at Croisadore plantation, Talbot county, Maryland, the first of two children of Samuel Dickinson (1690–1760), planter and judge, and his second wife, Mary Cadwalader (1700–1776), daughter of John Cadwalader...
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Dutt, (Rajani) Palme (1896–1974), political leader
John Callaghan
Dutt, (Rajani) Palme (1896–1974), political leader, was born at Cambridge on 19 June 1896, the younger son (there was also a daughter) of Upendra Krishna Dutt, a Bengali, who had studied medicine in England and established a practice in Cambridge. Dutt's Swedish mother, ...
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Ecclestone, Alan (1904–1992), Church of England clergyman and communist activist
T. J. Gorringe
Ecclestone, Alan (1904–1992), Church of England clergyman and communist activist, was born on 3 June 1904 at 233 Princes Road, Stoke-on-Trent, the second of the two children of George Henry Ecclestone (1867–1942), a pottery designer, and his wife, Emily Florence, née Heath (1872–1945)...
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Engels, Friedrich [Frederick] (1820–1895), businessman and revolutionary leader
Gareth Stedman Jones
Engels, Friedrich [Frederick] (1820–1895), businessman and revolutionary leader, was born on 28 November 1820 in Barmen, Westphalia, the son of Friedrich Engels (1796–1860), a textile manufacturer, and Elizabeth, née van Haar (1797–1873), the daughter of a schoolmaster of Dutch origin. Frederick (as he came to be known in ...
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Fitzwalter, Robert (d. 1235), magnate and rebel
Matthew Strickland
Fitzwalter, Robert (d. 1235), magnate and rebel, lord of Dunmow, Essex and Baynard's Castle, London, was the son of Walter fitz Robert and Matilda, daughter of Henry II's justiciar Richard de Lucy. Henry I had granted the honours of Dunmow and Baynard's Castle...
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Franklin, Benjamin (1706–1790), natural philosopher, writer, and revolutionary politician in America
J. A. Leo Lemay
Franklin, Benjamin (1706–1790), natural philosopher, writer, and revolutionary politician in America, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, New England, on 6 January 1706 and baptized later that day. His parents were Josiah Franklin (1657–1745), a tallow chandler and soap maker who had emigrated from ...
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Glyn Dŵr [Glyndŵr], Owain [Owain ap Gruffudd Fychan, Owen Glendower] (c. 1359–c. 1416), rebel leader in Wales
Llinos Smith
Glyn Dŵr [Glyndŵr], Owain [Owain ap Gruffudd Fychan, Owen Glendower] (c. 1359–c. 1416), rebel leader in Wales, declared prince of Wales on 16 September 1400, was the acknowledged leader of the most serious and widespread rebellion against English authority in Wales since the conquest of 1282–3....
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Gollan, John (1911–1977), communist leader and author
Monty Johnstone
Gollan, John (1911–1977), communist leader and author, was born at Stephenlaws Close, 132 High Street, Edinburgh, on 2 April 1911, the third of eight children of Duncan Gollan (1879/80–1958), a painter and decorator, and his wife, Mary, née Dunn (1884/5–1951). His parents were both Scottish working-class socialists. He attended ...
