America’s Founding Fathers [sic] were Essex Boys, according to claims.. in The Telegraph
Controversy surrounding the ‘ownership’ of a heritage brand? Where and who do you associate the Mayflower with? Plymouth, Devon; Harwich, Essex; or Scrooby, Nottinghamshire? Or Southampton, Hampshire. Or Dartmouth, Devon. Or Plymouth, Massachusetts. I could go on…
Some of our so-called ‘Serious’ newspapers the other day followed up on the recent BBC program about the building of a full-sized replica of the Mayflower. I always assumed that the Telegraph was a serious newspaper and investigated material before they published such outlandish stories, such as the one penned by Colin Freeman. Clearly I was wrong !!
With regard to the Mayflower of Pilgrim Father’s fame, it is well documented in scores of literary works on the matter, that the ship was indeed built in one of the shipyards around Harwich. Furthermore, her skipper, Christopher Jones and 90% of the crew that sailed her to the New World, were born and raised in Harwich.
Virginia can also thank Harwich, Essex for their existence as Christopher Newport, who commanded the three ships that took 100 men there in 1610 was also born and raised in Harwich. A life long friend of Christopher Jones, he gave a map to him just before the Mayflower sailed from Rotherhythe, London (he and a lot of his friends had moved there in 1611 for commercial reasons) to help him navigate to Virginia. A combination of heavy seas, storms and the onset of winter, stopped the Mayflower from ever getting to Virginia. That is why the “Mayflower Compact” had to be formulated and signed.
Many other articles being published in the last few days about this matter are factually inacurate, one even suggests that the Mayflower was built in Boston, Lincolnshire – quite a feet for a town so far inland ! Scrooby was one of the original areas that the “seperatists” departed from in 1609 to go to Leiden, Holland. There they stayed for 12-years until Holland too became an undesirable country for the new religious sect.
Originally, there were no “Pilgrims” from Harwich aboard the Mayflower. Indeed, no Harwich man signed the “Mayflower Compact” – the document that became the first governing agreement and had to be created as the original agreed contract betwix themselves and the London Merchant backers was now void. However, at least two of the Mayflower crew stayed on at the Cape Cod settlement after the ship sailed back to England in 1621 and they too became Pilgrim Fathers. One of these was John Alden, also born and raised in Harwich, Essex – two United States presidents descended from him.
Amongst the workers who were hired by the London merchant backers to help build the new settlement, were many Essex men and their families. Six American presidents descended from those Essex men and women.
Plymouth, Devon’s only claim to fame in the Mayflower story, is that by chance, after the ship Speedwell, which was to accompany the Mayflower to the New World, became unseaworthy due to the ingress of water, the two ships turned about from the Atlantic and sought refuge in the port.
It should be noted that whilst in Plymouth, though many of the original passengers (over 150) changed their minds and returned to Holland, NO Devon folk took the voyage and were amongst the 102 that DID take the journey. Had the Speedwell been a good ship, then it would have been Southampton that was the last English port and arguably Plimouth, Mass would have been named Southampton.
Up to quite recently, if you had gone to Plimouth in Cape Cod, you would have seen floating in the harbour a decaying hulk that is a whimsical three quater size replica of the Mayflower, built in Brixham, Devon in the 1950’s. A floating museum she may be, however, now not seaworthy and unable to obtain an ocean going certificate and older than the original Mayflower ever was, she will not be able to play an active part in any celebrations America may be planning for the 400th anniversary in 2020. She is currently in dry dock with plans to take 7-years rebuilding her.
Also if you read historians books about the Mayflower story you will see that the “Plymouth Rock” element is nothing more that a folk tale. A large boulder rests in a protected cage on the promenade and narrative suggests that it was the stone that the first man ashore from the Mayflower put his foot on??
Make no bones about it, Harwich, Essex has owners rights on the Mayflower Story and the new ship being built there – The Mayflower of Harwich – should be something that the whole world should praise and be proud of. One other thing, if Plymouth, Devon have indeed invited the President of the USA to their celebrations in 2020, they must be fortune tellers and have a crystal ball – please enlighten the world who the president will be in seven years hence !!