prize8-3, Exercise 2: Testing the story of Winstanley's wish

Model answer (check the details):

The story: Winstanley is said to have said that he wished to be in the lighthouse during the greatest storm that ever blew, to see whether it would stand.

Evidence that supports it: the tower was lost with him in the Great Storm of 1703, and the story fits the facts, which is part of why it was repeated. Several 18th-century writers mention a remark of this kind (check).

Who told it and when: the earliest tellings appear after his death, in accounts that recount the loss. A remark of this kind is very easy to attach to a man who died in this way, and the wording changes between accounts (check).

What to want to see: a contemporary source close to Winstanley (a letter, a diary or a newspaper report of his plans), a statement by someone who heard him say it, and the earliest printed version, to see how it changed.

Conclusion: the facts of the loss are documented; the quotation is plausible but should be treated as reported, not certain.

Care: a story that fits the ending too neatly is a reason for caution. The same method applies to the alleged last words of other people.