MAYFLOWER
Image: Gutenberg Project

The Mayflower is the famous ship which brought the Pilgrims WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE THE PILGRIMS? from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts. The year? 1620.

Twice Plymouth. Coincidence? Eddie Izzard explains.

The day of departure of the Mayflower was September 16, 1620.

On November 21, 1620, which was 66 days later, they landed on Cape Cod at what's today your Provincetown.

On they went to Plymouth, first a small exploring party on December 21, and then the rest of it on December 26, 1620. One hundred and two people went ashore with the intention to settle. The Pilgrims had arrived.

The Mayflower sailed back to England in April 1621.

WHAT WERE THE SPECS OF THE MAYFLOWER?
Nobody knows for sure, but it is estimated that the ship was approx 90 feet, or 27 meters, long and that it weighed approx. 180 tons.

WHO ALL WAS ON BOARD?
There was Captain Myles Standish, also spelled Miles Standish, who led the group in their military endeavors.

There was also William Bradford, who went on to become the governor of Plymouth for 30 years. He wrote his famous History of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647.

And then there were Edward Winslow and Susanna White, who were the first ones to get married in New England. The date? May 1621.

Go here for a full list of the Mayflower's officers and crew and here's the passenger list.

WHO'S IDEA WAS THE TRIP IN THE FIRST PLACE?
English religious exiles were looking for a peaceful place to settle.

Chartered was the vessel by the London Adventurers, a group of English merchants.

What did their map look like? They were going to "Virginia" which looked slightly different back in the days. Check the map:

VIRGINIA 1620
Click to enlarge

WHAT IS THE SPEEDWELL?
It is another ship.

Originally, it was planned to do the cruise with two ships, the Mayflower and the Speedwell. They departed together on August 15, 1620, from Southampton. But the Speedwell had some technical troubles and had to return to port.

They tried once more, but the same thing happened, the Speedwell was not fit enough for the long journey and had to return.

The Mayflower finally took some of the Speedwell travelers onboard and went alone.

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT?
The Mayflower Compact was a written agreement between 41 of the male passengers on the Mayflower who, all of a sudden, felt a little lonely approaching the new continent all by themselves.

It was signed on chicken night, November 21, 1620, and basically said that they would stick together no matter what. The Old style date of the signing of the Mayflower Compact is November 11, 1620.

WHAT IN THE WORLD MEANS OLD STYLE DATE?

CAN IT BE DONE AGAIN?
In 1957 it has. Some people created a replica of the Mayflower, the Mayflower II, and off they went, doing the same voyage all over again minus the ignorance of what to expect at the point of destination mind you. They only needed 53 days for the trip.

Read all about the Mayflower online and for free, featured via Project Gutenberg: The May-Flower and Her Log by Azel Ames, published in 1907.