Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Heritage
Levellers Day
Burford remembers the Levellers shot in its churchyard in 1649 with a day of singing, a commemoration, a march round the town and talks, on a Saturday in May. Next on Saturday 15 May 2027.
Levellers Day is held in Burford on a Saturday in May, in and around the church of St John the Baptist and Warwick Hall, to remember the Leveller soldiers shot in the churchyard in 1649. The next is on Saturday 15 May 2027; the organisers publish the programme on their website in the spring. In 2026 it was on Saturday 9 May.
What happens
The day is part memorial, part political gathering. In 2026 it began at 10.30am with singing in the churchyard, followed by a commemoration and the laying of posies. A folk band played outside the hall before a march round the town at midday. The afternoon brought a walking tour with historians, workshops, and a debate and a conversation with speakers from politics and the universities. The talks are political and anyone may come; the organisers do not publish a charge.
Getting there and parking
Warwick Hall is on Church Lane, beside the church at the bottom of the town (OX18 4RY). Guildenford car park, run by the district council, is free and a few minutes' walk away, with a 4-hour limit on most bays. The X52 links Burford with Oxford, and in 2026 the Oxford and District Trade Union Council arranged a coach from Oxford station, which was fully booked. Bring a coat for the churchyard and the march, which are outdoors.
What happened in 1649
In May 1649 soldiers of Parliament's New Model Army mutinied over unpaid wages and in support of the Levellers' cause. They were caught at Burford by government troops, some 340 of them were locked in the church, and three of their leaders were shot by firing squad in the churchyard. A plaque on the church wall, to the left of the south door, names them: Cornet Thompson, Corporal Perkins and Private Church. Inside, one prisoner, Anthony Sedley, carved his name into the lead of the font. The commemoration began in 1975, when members of the Workers' Educational Association's Oxford Industrial Branch met in remembrance; Tony Benn read in the church the next year. The church and the font are in our page on St John the Baptist, and the town in the guide to Burford.
Offers from businesses near this event
Offers are published by the businesses themselves, which pay to be listed here. We have not checked them, and you deal with the business directly.
Where to stay for Levellers Day
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Ostlers
Self-catering · Burford
A three-bedroom holiday cottage in Burford, let through Manor Cottages, sleeping six, with a garden, a woodburner and parking for one car; no pets.
Family-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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Cotswold Stay
Self-catering · Burford
A four-bedroom house in Burford that sleeps eight, let for self-catering, with no dogs.
Family-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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The Angel at Burford
Pubs · Burford
An inn on Witney Street, Burford, run by the King family since 2011, with an AA Rosette for its cooking, a walled garden and sun terrace, three bedrooms and food from breakfast onwards.
Verified Nov 2026