Starting in 1601 there were several determined efforts to establish English settlements on the coast of New England. They failed due to the rigours of the winter weather and lack of support from home. In 1607 settlers aboard the SARAH CONSTANT, the DISCOVERY and the GOODSPEED began the colony in James Town, Virginia, and in the warm southern climate it became a permanent settlement. Vessels from Jamestown came north in the season to the rich fishing grounds off New England and, after a party had managed to spend a winter in southern Maine, they established permanent stations there.

In 1620 102 English religious separatists embarked on board the MAYFLOWER for a passage to America. They had received a patent from the Virginia Company and were expected to settle in `North Virginia` - near Long Island - under English rule. Instead they founded the colony of Plymouth in New England. William Bradford became the second Governor of this colony and about 1630 he started to write his "History of the Plymouth Plantation" in which he described the company in the spiritual sense as `pilgrims`. This became the common phraseology in New England and eventually the `Pilgrim Fathers` became the historical designation of the founders of the colony. The `Pilgrim Fathers` In 1593 the bishops of the established Church of England pushed through laws which called for banishment of those opposed to its teachings and in 1604 at the Hampton Court Conference King James I confirmed that measures would would be taken to make everyone conform to the Anglican Church and more than 300 clergymen were removed from their churches for non-compliance. Among those persecuted were the members of a group of churches in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire who, in 1607 and 1608, managed, under conditions of great hardship, to escape to Leyden in Holland. Although they were able to work and learn trades they became worried that their children

would grow up as Dutchmen so plans were made to move the group to America. A small vessel, the SPEEDWELL, was purchased and on Friday 21 July nearly 50 of the youngest and strongest sailed in her from Delft to Southampton where they joined another ninety passengers waiting for them on board a chartered vessel MAYFLOWER. They sailed on Saturday 5 August but had to put into Dartmouth to repair leaks in SPEEDWELL. Eight days later they set sail again but had only gone about 300 miles beyond Land`s End when Captain Reynolds of SPEEDWELL again complained that his vessel would sink if they did not put back to Plymouth. They spent two weeks living in the Barbican area of the town, where they were received with great kindness. Meanwhile it was decided that SPEEDWELL was unseaworthy and at least twelve of her passengers would have to return to Holland while the rest were moved to the already overcrowded MAYFLOWER.

The MAYFLOWER sailed from Plymouth, Devon, on 6 September 1620. (This is the date which was used at the time under the old Julian Calendar. In 1750 the Gregorian Calendar was adopted in Great Britain to give a date ten days later, the 16th in New Style. All dates used here will be in Old Style) In 1891 a plaque was erected to mark the spot and in 1934 this was covered by a Doric canopy made of stone. See Navigation in the 17th century. At first they had fair weather but the latter part of the voyage was marked by cross winds and fierce storms. During one of the these, while MAYFLOWER was under bare poles, a young man, John Howland, was swept overboard but managed to catch hold of the topsail halyard and was rescued. The MAYFLOWER was a soundly built ship but the stress of the weather "bowed and cracked" one of the main beams. According to Bradford this was pushed back into place by a "great iron screw" which had been brought out of Holland, and afterwards the beam was kept up by a post down to the lower deck. It has been suggested that the screw was part of a printing press.

Their landfall was at Cape Cod. At first they decided to stand to the southward to find the River Hudson but when thy encountered adverse winds and "dangerous shoals and roaring breakers", they turned back after half a day and considered themselves lucky to round the Cape before nightfall. The following day, Saturday 11 November, they found a safe anchorage in a large circular bay - now Provincetown Harbor. Unfortunately they could not get closer to the shore than three-quarters of a mile because of shallows and people going on shore had to wade through the icy water.

On Monday they unshipped the shallop and pulled it ashore to rebuild it. It had been damaged by people lying in it when it was stowed between decks and it took 16 or 17 days to finish the work. The shallop was a clinker built boat of some 10 to 15 tons, double-ended, with a length of about 30 feet and a beam of nine feet. A single mast carried a sprit mainsail and a jib or foresail. On Monday 27 November Captain Jones with twenty-five volunteers took the shallop on a voyage of exploration but bad weather forced their early return. On 6 December Clarke, the mate, and Coffin, the pilot, took the shallop out again with three of the crew and ten of the passengers. The encountered gales and snowstorms but, on Monday 11 December, they sounded the harbor off the place they determined was to be their final destination and which they named Plymouth Plantation. Ten children, fourteen women and twenty-six men died during the 1620 -1621 winter, half the company, many probably from scurvy contracted on the voyage.

MAYFLOWER remained in American waters until 5 April 1621 and then returned to England on 6 May. Later in the year she was again trading with France and brought back salt from Rochelle in the fall. The 31 October 1621 is the last date that can traced, with any assurance, in her trading career.

November 1621 brought 35 more people on board the FORTUNE.and in July 1623 the ship ANNE, accompanied by the LITTLE JAMES brought over the wives and children which had been left behind in Holland and some more new settlers. Over the next few years little settlements grew up along the 140 miles or so of coast between Cape Ann to the north and Cape Cod to the south. There was little intercourse between the religious separatists in Plymouth and the other colonists who were adherents to the established Church of England.

Go to Part 2 of this section.