Back to the original question for a moment - yes, the "Mr Harding" in "A Place Called England" is indeed a reference to my earlier song "A Proper Sort of Gardener". Mr Harding was employed as a gardener for many years by Courages Brewery in Alton, Hants. He tended several gardens of houses that were owned by the brewery, including the one that I lived in as a child. The last time I met him was when I was visiting my parents' grave in Alton (in the early 80s, I think) and although long retired he had chosen to keep gardening by helping to keep the cemetery tidy.

I alerted his son John to your discussion, which he has been reading with interest.

Sooz seems to have got the words down pretty accurately - I would just point out that in the last line of "Place Called England" I sing
"We shall plant the seed they saved US, common wealth and common ground"
(rather than "as") - but mind you, I don't play the same chords as Hamish either (no minors) -the folk process is alive and well!

If anyone can remember the surname of Eileen in the Cotswolds who wouldn't sell her garden to Sainsbury/Tesco/whoever I'd be grateful to know it, as people often ask me about her and I failed to keep the original press cutting.

I first read about the Diggers etc in Christopher Hill's scholarly book "The World Turned Upside-Down". Leon's fine song paraphrases quite a bit of their manifesto. And a novelist's impression of the times can be found in Naomi Mitcheson's "The sea-green ribbons".

There are quite a few more references to books, songs, etc in " A Place Called England", but that'll have to do for now.

All the best

Maggie