The background to the Mayflower story began when James I and his Bishops drew up a list of rules in 1604, to which all clergy were obliged to conform. However, many Anglican clergy refused, and were stripped of their positions and lost their living within the established Church of England.
by Bernard Gribble
The Pilgrim Fathers boarding the Mayflower for their voyage to America.
Many of the Pilgrims came from villages in Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire – they received summonses for non-attendance at their local churches, and one by one they fled the country. Some settled in Leiden, in the Netherlands and lived there for some years before eventually leaving on their momentous voyage to start a colony in the USA.
The Leiden Separatists bought a small ship, the Speedwell, in The Netherlands. They embarked from Delftshaven on 22 July 1620, and sailed to Southampton, England to meet the Mayflower, which had been chartered by their English investors. There, other Separatists and additional colonists joined them.
On 15 August, the Mayflower and Speedwell set sail for America. The Speedwell leaked so badly that both ships turned back to England, putting in first at Dartmouth and then at Plymouth. Finally, on 16 September 1620, the Mayflower set sail, alone, for America.
by Leslie Wilcox
Detail from: Mayflower & Speedwell in Dartmouth Harbour
Who Were the Separatists?
The Separatists were living through a period of religious turmoil, which had existed since Elizabeth I’s reign. The country had been predominantly Catholic, and in the 1600s Church of England services retained some aspects of Catholicism, which reform-minded Protestants regarded as decadence.
They preferred to worship in simple churches with no ornamentation. A group of religious dissenters broke away from the Church of England – they became known as Separatists – and they were persecuted for not conforming to the style of religion practiced by the Church at the time.
As a result of this persecution, many religious leaders and their congregations fled the country, and one group moved to Leiden in the Netherlands, where they believed there was more religious tolerance. Their life there was harsh, and after several years they discovered that freedom of religion was also limited, and they were afraid that their children would integrate too much into the Dutch Church and way of life. So, they made a plan with some Separatists in England to start a new colony. With the backing of Merchant Adventurers, who financed the voyage, they obtained the Mayflower and Speedwell to take them on their journey across the Atlantic. They met up and sailed to Southampton, before setting off on their historic voyage.
The Dartmouth Connection
The route of the Mayflower
The two ships didn’t get very far before the Speedwell began to take on water again – either because she carried too much sail and thus was straining at her timbers, or as a direct result of sabotage by a reluctant crew. They changed course for Dartmouth in Devon, arriving on 23rd August 1620. According to the passengers the Speedwell was leaking like a sieve and water was penetrating her hull rapidly, causing some alarm and requiring urgent attention. Both ships lay at anchor in the harbour, off Bayards Cove, while repairs were carried out.
It has been said that the Separatists were regarded with some suspicion by the locals, but we have no historical evidence to support this. While much has changed on the waterfront since, they would still recognise Bayards Cove itself with the Tudor fort, Lower Street, Smith Street and Agincourt House, now a hotel. It took about ten days for the port’s skilled craftsmen to make good the damage. Again, the ships headed out into the English Channel, New World bound.
The Mayflower alone set sail from Plymouth, England on 16 September 1620 with just 102 passengers and crew on board. The Speedwell and a number of passengers had to be left behind. The ship arrived some 66 days later, on 11 November, in Cape Cod on the US East Coast.
The above is published with the kind permission of the Dartmouth Mayflower 400 group – for more information on their activities, events and projects - see www.dartmouthmayflower400.uk