A Pilgrim Father’s Village: the Records of Kempsey, Worcestershire

A.F.C. Baber writes that traditions of English local government, carried to the New World, provide an important clue to the success of the Pilgrims' emigration.

The most interesting characteristic of the men and women who sailed in the Mayflower in 1620 is that they were completely undistinguished people—undistinguished in social class, occupation or place of origin. Of those one hundred and two emigrants, twelve were entitled “Master,” but in the early documents none has the appellation of “gentleman three are classed as merchants, and a handful took their own servants with them; for the rest, mention is made of a tailor, a fustian-maker, a wool-comber, a smith, a say-maker, a linen-weaver, a hatter, a cloth-maker, a wood-sawyer, a wool-carder, a silk-worker and a printer.

To continue reading this article you will need to purchase access to the online archive.

Buy Online Access  Buy Print & Archive Subscription

If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.

Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.