Mayflower Part I

    In the 1500's in France there were anti Catholic movements centered around the opulence of the mother church, these movements were fundamental  differences on the practice of the christian faith. These movements were concerned with the transformation of the Christ of History to the Vatican’s Christ.

  The Huguenots (Protestant Reformed Church of France) which broke away from the Catholic Church and was very vocal in their disdain for the sacraments of the church and the churches obsession with death, the worshiping of saints, pilgrimages, images, prayers and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.

    The Huguenots were persecuted for their heretical beliefs for years which terminated with the genocide of the Huguenots on St. Bartholomew Day in 1572, when 30,000 Huguenots were executed.

  They were executed for lack of faith in the one and only true church!  A few years before this genocide, Huguenot Captain John Vassal fled France and made his way to England.

    Captain Vassal started a Shipbuilding business. His first ship was a cargo vessel ninety feet long twenty four feet wide and displacing one hundred and eighty tons. This ship required twenty five men and officers.

This first ship was in service by 1574 delivering dry goods, salt, textiles, furs, iron, pewter and casks of vinegar and wine.

 

 The ownership of the ship was transferred to Captain Richard Burton, who maintained her cargo deliveries until he desired a smaller ship which could be operated with fewer crew and less maintenance.

  Captain Burton sold his ship to Captain Christopher Jones and they exchanged ships.  Captain Burton received the Josian along with other compensation and Captain Jones received the cargo vessel MAYFLOWER !

     Captain Jones was 25% owner of the Mayflower, he had three investors who were partners, their names were John Moore, Robert Childe and Thomas Short.

     The fist voyage of the Mayflower under new ownership was to deliver a load of cargo which was made up of hats, hemp, wine, salt and vinegar, to Tronheim Norway.

  Andrew Pawlings had contracted with the Mayflower to deliver these products and bring a return cargo of Norwegian  pine boards, tar, furs and salted herring packed in barrels.

   Andrew was having financial difficulties and had some IOU's coming due and needed this trip to be profitable. It took a month longer to load cargo in Tronheim then was projected. Then once underway the Mayflower encountered a severe North Sea storm which lasted for several weeks before it blew itself out.

   This trip was challenging for the captain with his new ship, sort of a sea trial of sorts, the performance under these extreme sea conditions was poor.

    Captain Jones decided to lighten the load by unloading a considerable amount of cargo especially the lumber, with this lighter load the ship was able to perform much better and survived the storm, however there was a new storm waiting for the Mayflower when she arrived in port. 

 When she arrived back in England a month over due authorities were waiting to arrest Andrew Pawlings for defaulting on debts.

  Andrew was able to sell some of his cargo which wasn't off loaded while in the North Sea, to satisfy some of his debts. Certain creditors weren't satisfied and law suits were filed. This entered the Mayflower into historical maritime records.

 The pilgrims were religious radicals (separatists puritans) who broke away from the Church of England. They lived in the area of Nottingham England.

    King James 1^st was not tolerant of the puritans, his persecution of the puritans was constant and severe. Pastor John Robertson was making arrangements to remove his congregation to a place of safety.

   Their destination would be Leiden Holland, however they needed to go covertly because the King's spies had them under surveillance.

    The pastor arranged for a cargo ship to transport them secretly to Holland, their departure was illegal. The captain was corrupt and informed the King of the congregations intentions.

   When Pastor Robinson arrived at the ship the King's men were awaiting their the arrival. They confiscated all of their belongings, provisions and money.

   At a later date the puritans were able to secure safe passage to Holland but they were impoverished.  The  ship left for Leiden Holland with the Puritans,  they were able to practice their faith but they were still persecuted by King James I who had his spies in Holland keeping surveillance on the separatist Puritans.

    The new world offered opportunity the puritans needed, but as poor immigrants they were not offered the full citizenship in Holland and were not able to attain the financial independence they had once known.

  John Carver was the brother in law of Pasteur John Robertson's wife.  He was a successful Merchant and was a member of the London Merchant Adventurers Company. John Carver was also a puritan and relocated to Leiden Holland to be with Pastor Robertson's congregation.

    The congregation became more and more convinced that the new world would be their best solution for their livelihood if only they could receive help to get started and their prayers centered around their desires to relocate.

  Pastor John Robertson sent John Carver  and Robert Cushman to London, both of these puritans were successful merchants with excellent reputations and connections to other merchants of means.

   They arrived in London to find financial backers, and a ship to handle this project. John Carver contacted his associates in the London Merchants  Adventurer company.

  Through the company they came into contact with Thomas Weston, a iron merchant. Thomas Weston accompanied John Carver and Robert Cushman back to Leiden Holland to meet with the congregation and especially Pastor John Robertson.

   Thomas Weston made a proposal to form a joint stock company with the puritans and a group of London Investors. The investors would lease a ship and finance the venture. The puritans would provide the labor, all the proceeds, livestock, furs, lumber, real estate and natural resources would be owned by the Joint Stock Company.

   They would maintain this company for seven years and then it would dissolve, the company and all of it's assets would be sold and dispersed to the stock holders.

    This was a dream come true for the puritans, as the plan was presented to the congregation the puritans immediately broke into prayer.

   Immediate preparations were made for the voyage, not all of the puritans would be the on first voyage, out of one hundred puritans thirty seven would be on the first journey.

   The puritans arranged for a ship to depart from  Defhaven Holland, where their church was located on July 22, 1610.

   

 In Deflhaven Holland in 1610 Pasteur John Robinson was beginning his sermon to a very emotional congregation.  Pastor Robinson was proselytizing EZRA (8:21)

    “There by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children with all of our possessions.

  I was ashamed to ask our King for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the King " ...the gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks toward him.  His great anger is against all who forsake him."  So we fasted and petitioned our God about this and he answered our prayer.”

   As the Pasteur preached the flock became more emotional and suddenly Pasteur John Robinson fell to his knees and in tearful proclamation prayed the most fervent of prayers.

    Select members of the flock said their tearful good by's.  They were the advance part of their congregation that would establish a settlement in the lands to the west, free of religious persecution.

    The congregation escorted the pilgrims down to the pier,  they boarded the “Speedwell” a ship in ill repair and was taking on water from rotted timber in the hull.  The ship was departing for Southampton England.

   Prior to this tear felt day the elders of the congregation had sought a seaworthy vessel capable of making this dangerous and long voyage to the lands that the Vikings had been visiting for the last eight hundred years.

    The elders came in contact with the master of a cargo vessel which for the last ten years was involved in transporting two hundred casks of Bordeaux wines from Le Rochelle France to London per trip.  They contracted with this vessel, the Mayflower, to transport their brother n to the new land.