America's first radical?

Not sure why this one feels obscure but it does - up in Hampstead we have Vane Close.

It's just by the Royal School on Hampstead High Street, just down from Greenhill.

And tucked away under the tree that grows over the corner of the street is this plaque.

Now I'm a bit of a history fiend but Harry Vane fell out of my knowledge and so a bit of digging has been in order to find out more:
- who
- when
- why

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Vane

All of which made me realise that there are substantive characters who just pass through history - successful, significant and noted and yet without credit or any household status today... Ad amidst all of this he is cited as being Amercia's first radical!

Quite why precisely he was executed is pretty unclear other than he had fallen out with King and execution was an accepted means of removal. All pretty gim really!