The Pilgrim Story / Being largely a compilation from the documents of Governor Bradford and Governor Winslow, severally and in collaboration; together with a list of Mayflower passengers.

by William Franklin Atwood

London: Preparation

The coast of North America was not entirely unknown. There had been several attempts at settlement and exploration. One by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584. He had taken possession under a patent confirmed by act of Parliament, of the territory from the Carolinas north to Virginia, the name Virginia being given the new country in honor of the Virgin Queen.

In 1606 another party under command of Capt. John Smith sailed in three small vessels under authority of a charter granted by James I. They landed at a point in Chesapeake Bay, thirty-two miles from the mouth of the James river in Virginia and established a settlement called Jamestown.

In 1614 Smith made a voyage to the North Virginia coast at which time he made a comprehensive map calling this section New England. Upon his return to England he showed this map to Charles I, then a prince, who in applying the names of English towns to points along the coast gave the place which was to become the Pilgrim settlement the name of Plymouth, which it has since retained.

There were many matters of moment to be settled before the Pilgrims could depart their native shores. The liquidation of what property they had acquired was to be augmented by further financing. It was necessary to obtain a patent to any land they might acquire for settlement and the matter of how many and who should go first had to be determined.

“Those that stayed, being the greater number, required the pastor to stay with them; and indeed for other reasons he could not then well go, and so it was the more easily yielded unto. It was also agreed on by mutual consent and covenant that those who went should be an absolute church of themselves, as well as those that stayed, seeing in such a dangerous voyage, and a removal to such a distance, it might come to pass that they should (for the body of them) never meet again in this world. Yet with this proviso, that if any of the rest came over to them, or of the other returned upon occasion, they should be reputed as members without further admission or testimonial. It was also promised to those that went first, by the body of the rest, that if the Lord gave them life and means, and opportunity, they should come to them as soon as they could.”

The next step was to secure a patent. Already letters-patent had been granted two companies of Englishmen to territory 100 miles in width on the Atlantic coast of North America from the 34th to the 45th degrees north latitude. These were designated as the South and North Virginia companies. Through emissaries sent to England a patent was obtained bearing date of Feb. 12th, 1620. This patent was issued to John Pierce and Associates and covered territory in the vicinity of the Virginia Capes. As it happened the Pilgrims settled outside the limits defined therein and another patent was granted covering the territory around Cape Cod Bay. This patent bears the date of June 1st, 1621, and was issued by the Council of New England which had been created by royal authority to succeed the North Virginia Company after the departure of the Pilgrims from England.

It shows the signatures of the Duke of Lenox, the Marquis of Hamilton, the Earl of Warwick, Lord Sheffield and Sir Ferdinand Gorges. Several parts of this ancient document have broken away, including the seal of Hamilton and the seal and signature of John Pierce, the party of the second part thereto. This valuable document, the oldest state document in New England, was brought over in the Fortune in 1621 and now reposes in Pilgrim Hall.

Arrangements were concluded with a group of London business men who styled themselves the Merchant Adventurers who were in sympathy with the movement and who had agreed to finance the expedition. Perhaps they are best described by Capt. John Smith who wrote in 1624:

“The adventurers which raised the stock to begin and supply this plantation, were about seventy, some gentlemen, some merchants, some handicraftsmen, some adventuring great sums, some small, as their estates and their affection served. These dwelt most about London. They are not a corporation, but knit together by a voluntary combination in a society without constraint or penalty, aiming to do good and to plant religion.”