John Bunyan was a 17th-century English writer, theologian, and preacher who was born in Elstow. After serving in the Parliamentary Army at the age of sixteen, he worked as a tinker before joining the Bedford Meeting, a nonconformist group. Due to his religious activities, he spent twelve years in prison. During his period of incarceration, he produced significant literary works, most notably his spiritual autobiography and his famous allegory, which remains a landmark of English literature.