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The Voyage
The Mayflower was hired in London, and sailed from London to Southampton in July 1620 to begin loading food and supplies for the voyage--much of which was purchased at Southampton. The Pilgrims were mostly still living in the city of Leiden, in the Netherlands. They hired a ship called the Speedwell to take them from Delfthaven, the Netherlands, to Southampton, England, to meet up with the Mayflower. The two ships planned to sail together to Northern Virginia. The Speedwell departed Delfthaven on July 22, and arrived at Southampton, where they found the Mayflower waiting for them. The Speedwell had been leaking on her voyage from the Netherlands to England, though, so they spent the next week patching her up.
On August 5, the two ships finally set sail for America. But the Speedwell began leaking again, so they pulled into the town of Dartmouth for repairs, arriving there about August 12. The Speedwell was patched up again, and the two ships again set sail for America, about August 21. After the two ships had sailed about 300 miles out to see, the Speedwell again began to leak. Frustrated with the enormous amount of time lost, and their inability to fix the Speedwell so that it could be sea-worthy, they returned to Plymouth, England, and made the decision to leave the Speedwell behind. The Mayflower would go to America alone. The cargo on the Speedwell was transferred over to the Mayflower; some of the passengers were so tired and disappointed with all the problems, that they quit and went home. Others crammed themselves onto the now very crowded Mayflower.
Finally, on September 6, the Mayflower departed from Plymouth, England, and headed for America. By the time the Pilgrims had left England, they had already been living onboard the ships for nearly a month and a half. The voyage itself across the Atlantic Ocean took 66 days, from their departure on September 6, until Cape Cod was sighted on November 9, 1620. The first half of the voyage went fairly smoothly, the only major problem was sea-sickness. But by October, they began encountering a number of Atlantic storms that made the voyage treacherous. Several times, the wind was so strong they had to just drift where the weather took them, it was not safe to use the ship's sails. The Pilgrims intended to land in Northern Virginia, which at the time included the region as far north as the Hudson River in the modern State of New York. The Hudson River, in fact, was their originally intended destination. They had received good reports on this region while in the Netherlands. All things considered, the Mayflower was almost right on target, missing the Hudson River by just a few degrees.
As the Mayflower approached land, the crew spotted Cape Cod just as the sun rose on November 9. The Pilgrims decided to head south, to the mouth of the Hudson River in New York, where they intended to make their plantation. However, as the Mayflower headed south, it encountered some very rough seas, and nearly shipwrecked. The Pilgrims then decided, rather than risk another attempt to go south, they would just stay and explore Cape Cod. They turned back north, rounded the tip, and anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor. The Pilgrims would spend the next month and a half exploring Cape Cod, trying to decide where they would build their plantation. On December 25, 1620, they had finally decided upon Plymouth, and began construction of their first buildings.
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What Happened on the Voyage
The Mayflower left Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620, and anchored off the tip of Cape Cod on November 11. During those two months crossing the Atlantic Ocean to America, many things happened on the Mayflower.
The first half of the voyage was actually fairly smooth. The wind and weather were good for sailing, and they made good progress. Aside from sea-sickness, the health of the passengers was generally very good. One of the sailors, however, continually laughed and scoffed at the passengers, "cursing them daily" and saying that he hoped to throw their dead bodies overboard and take their belongings for himself. But it turned out that this sailor would be the first to get sick and die: Passenger William Bradford wrote "it pleased God before they came half seas over, to smite this young man with a grievous disease, of which he died in a desperate manner, and so was himself the first that was thrown overboard. Thus his curses light on his own head, ... for they noted it to be the just hand of God upon him."
Of the 102 passengers onboard the ship, three of them were pregnant women. One of the women, Mrs. Elizabeth Hopkins, gave birth during the voyage. Stephen and Elizabeth Hopkins named their newborn son Oceanus. The other two women would give birth shortly after arrival.
After they had sailed more than half way to America, the Mayflower began to encounter a number of bad storms, which began to make the ship very leaky, causing many of the passengers below deck to be continually cold and damp. During one of the storms, a main beam in the middle of the ship cracked, causing some of the passengers and crew to wonder if the ship was strong enough to make all the way to America. But Master Christopher Jones felt his ship was strong, and so they fixed the main beam with a large screw, caulked the leaky decks as best they could, and continued on.
During another storm, a twenty-five year old man named John Howland came up on deck, but the ship suddenly rolled and he lost his balance and fell into the cold Atlantic ocean. Luckily, he managed to grab a hold of a rope that was hanging down from one of the topsails, and held on as he sunk many feet below the surface of the water. The Mayflower's crew hauled him back up to the surface with the rope, and then grabbed him with a boathook.
Wet and cold and cramped in their small quarters, some of the passengers began to develop coughs and colds. As the Mayflower finally began to approach America, one of the passengers, a young boy named William Butten, a servant to the passengers' doctor Samuel Fuller, died. William Butten died on November 6, just three days before land was sighted.
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Things the Pilgrims Brought
The Pilgrims did not leave behind a list of the things that they brought with them, so we do not know exactly what they brought. They were short of money, and so had very little with them but the necessities of life. In August 1620, a letter written by some of the Mayflower passengers as they lie in Southampton, England, wrote "we are forced to sell away £60 worth of our provisions, ... scarce having any butter, no oil, not a sole to mend a shoe nor every man a sword by his side, wanting many muskets, much armor, etc." We do know from written accounts that they had some Holland cheese, some dried beef, salt pork, biscuit (hard tack), wheat, peas, oil, and butter. The only known animals brought on the Mayflower were two dogs, a mastiff and an English spaniel, primarily for hunting, though it is possible they brought some chickens or pigs. The first goats, cattle, and oxen did not begin arriving at Plymouth until several years later, and horses were not to be seen for several more years. Some passengers brought a good number of books, a few expectant mothers brought cradles. While there may have been a few wooden chests, most other furniture was built after arrival from local materials.
Chest brought on the Mayflower by William Brewster.
Photo courtesy of the Pilgrim Hall Museum.
Cradle brought on the Mayflower by William and Susanna White
for their soon-to-be son Peregrine.
Photo courtesy of the Pilgrim Hall Museum.
Captain John Smith (famous for his exploits at Jamestown, Virginia, and for having his life saved by Pocahontas) wrote a pamphlet in which he made recommendations on what Virginia settlers should bring with them. It is very likely the Mayflower passengers brought with them approximately the same things. John Smith recommended these items:
Clothing (for a man):
* Monmouth Cap (knit cap, see image below)
* 3 falling bands (flat, usually white laced collar)
* 3 shirts, 1 waistcoat
* 1 canvas suit, 1 cloth suit, 1 frieze suit
* 3 pairs of Irish stockings
* 4 pairs of shoes
* 1 pair of garters (ribbons used to tie up the Irish stockings just below the knee)
17th century Monmouth Cap
Bedding and extra fabric:
* 1 pair of canvas sheets
* About 26 feet of canvas to make a bed and bolster for two
* About 18 feet of canvas to make a bed for the sea voyage
* 1 rug
* 12 sewing needles
Food (for one man, intended to last one year):
* Beer (the primary drink for everyone, water was often considered unsafe)
* About 2 barrels of wheat (a barrel held 36 gallons)
* About 1/2 barrel of peas, and 1/2 barrel of oats
* 2 gallons of vinegar
* 1 gallon aqua-vitae (a strong liquor made from distilling beer or wine)
* 1 gallon salad oil
* Bacon
* Cheese
* Sugar, Spice and Fruit
Picture of a distiller and barrel for making aqua-vitae.
From Richard Surflet's book Countrey Farme (London, 1616)
Weapons and Hunting:
* Complete (but light) body armor
* Long-barreled musket (Captain Smith recommends 5 feet 6 inches long)
* 1 sword and belt
* 1 bandolier (a leather belt that was worn from the right shoulder across the breast and under the left arm, to support the musket).
* 20 pounds of gunpowder
* 60 pounds of shot
Man with matchlock musket, sword and body armor.
From a French book, Maniement d'Armes, published in 1608.
Work Tools:
* 5 broad and 5 narrow hoes
* 2 broad axes, 2 pickaxes, and 5 felling axes
* 4 hand saws and 2 whipsaws (with sharpening file)
* 2 hammers, 3 shovels, 2 spades
* 2 augers, 6 chisels, 1 percer, 1 gimlet (all tools used for boring/drilling/chiseling wood)
* 2 hatchets
* 1 frow (a sharp tool used to split wood for fence posts)
* 1 grindstone
* nails "of all sorts"
Men working in an orchard using various tools.
From Gervase Markham's book, A New Orchard (London, 1631).
Cooking:
* 1 iron pot
* 1 kettle
* 1 large frying pan
* 1 grid iron
* 2 skillets
* 1 spit (to rotate cooking food over a fire)
* Platters, dishes, and spoons (made of wood)
Iron cooking pot thought to have been brought on the
Mayflower by Myles Standish.
Courtesy of the Pilgrim Hall Museum.
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Land Ho!
On the early morning of November 9, 1620, the Mayflower's crew spotted land. It was the first land they had seen in more than two months, and signified to the Pilgrims that they were near the end of their long voyage. What a relief, and what excitement it must have been! The crew determined that the land they were seeing was Cape Cod, somewhat to the north of the Hudson River in New York where the Pilgrims intended to plant their colony. So the Mayflower turned south to head for New York (back then it was called "Northern Virginia"). But on the way, the Mayflower encountered some very treacherous seas, and nearly shipwrecked. The passengers and crew were so shaken up by the near disaster, that they decided to head back to Cape Cod, instead of trying to make another attempt to head south. They entered Cape Cod in the early morning of November 11, and anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor, waiting for sunrise. After the sun was up and the tide was high, they sent shore a small group of men to collect juniper wood--the living quarters on the Mayflower had no doubt become very rancid and smelly, and one of the Pilgrims highest priorities was to collect some juniper wood to burn onboard the ship, to make everything smell just a little bit better. Over the next month and a half, the Pilgrims would send out multiple exploring parties, seeking out a suitable place to build their colony.
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