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The Scrooby Pilgrims |
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Going Dutch
The Scrooby Separatists travelled to Boston, Lincolnshire, where they had organised a ship to make the journey. They handed over their money for the voyage in good faith, but were betrayed by the vessel's captain and briefly imprisoned in the town. Undeterred, their second attempt in 1608 from a remote spot on the North Lincolnshire coast between Grimsby and Hull was successful.
Initially settling in Amsterdam with Smyth's Gainsborough congregation, the Scrooby Separatists became dissatisfied. According to Crispin Gill, "when men claim the right to interpret the Bible for themselves each finds a different answer." Increasingly, over time, the Separatist congregation in Amsterdam were no longer united in their interpretations of the bible.
Traditional dress of the Mayflower Pilgrims |
This deeply alarmed Brewster and Robinson. In an effort to retain the original beliefs of the Scrooby Separatists, they decided the group should move to Leyden. Despite the tolerant religious environment offered by the Netherlands, the Separatists were unhappy with their life in Holland. After nearly twelve years their economic situation remained bleak. On arrival they had only been able to take poorly-paid, semi-skilled jobs in the artisan trades and their financial state had not improved. The decision was made to move on.
Returning to an anti-Separatist England was still not an option, so the group decided upon the English colonies in North America. The Brewster family's friendship with Sir Edwin Sandys, treasurer of the London Company of Virginia, meant authorisation was given to settle in the northern territory of the land under the company's jurisdiction. Financial backing was secured from merchant-adventurers, such as Thomas Weston, a prominent London iron merchant.
Under the leadership of William Brewster, 35 Scrooby Separatists set sail aboard the Speedwell to Southampton on 5th August 1620, where they were to meet the Mayflower carrying other English Separatists.
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