The Mayflower in Britain

This book looks at the story of the Mayflower from the British point of view, and from the viewpoint of British democracy. The tale usually told is of a romantic departure from Plymouth, Devon, and a romantic arrival in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In fact, the voyage arose out of grim negotiations in London. It was financed and organized by investors in the City of London and its religious element was supplied by an underground church in Southwark, London. It sailed to America probably from Blackwall, in what is now London, and the ship’s crew lived in Rotherhithe—also now London. The ship did not intend to go to Plymouth, Devon, but was forced to call in there for repairs. In America they did not know where to land. Yet the Pilgrims took on board a precious cargo—a democratic spirit from London mellowed by a tolerance learned in Holland. This spirit did not just inspire American democracy but acted as a shining example to those in Britain they left behind. The same communities in London that planned the voyage of the Mayflower generated the English Civil War.