Why Leveller®?
We have used the Leveller® title from the launch of our first title, the Langport Leveller®” in 2010. So why “Leveller®”?
There are three strands to the answer.
The first and most obvious is that the Somerset Levels are at the heart of our county. The evocative countryside with its big skies and ever changing colours define Somerset and the region at the heart of the county in particular. So Leveller in the sense of one from the Levels.
Second and perhaps the most esoteric of our three strands is the presence in large numbers of Levellers at the Battle of Langport in 1645. A movement that looked towards early ideas of equality and communal living the Levellers were initially a large component of Fairfax’s army. And as the site of the Battle of Langport battlesite is on the doorstep of our offices, it seemed only fitting to give a nod to them.
Thirdly, the idea of “Levelling” is an important part of our mission. And I suppose any well-intentioned local newspaper. The idea that the great and good set themselves up as somehow superior to the rest of us represents a challenge. By questioning our leaders and holding them to account, by challenging their decisions, we are bringing them back down off their pedestals to the same level as the rest of us.
And hence “Leveller®”. So now you know!