SOUTHAMPTON, TO BE UNVEILED ON AUGUST 15TH, 1912]
The Gainsborough ceremony and the visits to Plymouth and Boston forged
further links in the chain of sympathy and brotherhood between England
and America. Fresh evidence has since been forthcoming that the
religious zeal and love of manly independence which induced the
Mayflower Pilgrims to expatriate themselves and found a mighty empire
across the Atlantic have their abiding influence to-day. We have seen
how these New World pilgrimages to Old World shrines rekindled dormant
affections on both sides.[13] No doubt the journeys will be renewed
again and again over much the same ground in the days to come.
It was about this time that Mr. Bayard was instrumental in restoring to
the State of Massachusetts William Bradford's manuscript "History of
Plymouth Plantation." About the middle of the eighteenth century this
valuable record was deposited in the New England Library, in the tower
of the Old South Church in Boston, but it disappeared, and found its way
to England. By some it was thought that Governor Hutchinson carried it
off; others believed that it was looted by British soldiers when Boston
was evacuated. Anyhow it vanished, and was given up for lost. But by a
lucky chance it was discovered. It was not until 1855 that certain
passages in Wilberforce's "History of the Protestant Episcopal Church in
America," printed in 1846, professing to quote from "a manuscript
History of Plymouth in the Fulham Library," revealed the whereabouts of
the priceless folios. These quotations were identified as being similar
to extracts from Bradford's History made by earlier annalists--Nathaniel
Morton, who used it freely in his "New England's Memorial," published
1669; Thomas Prince, in his "Annals" printed in 1736; and Governor
Hutchinson, the last man known to have seen the manuscript, who used it
in the preparation of his "History of Massachusetts" (second volume), in
1767. The story of the return of the manuscript has been told by the
Honourable George F. Hoar, the venerable Senator of Massachusetts who,
during a visit to England, interviewed the Bishop of London on the
subject, and, when the History had been recovered through the good
offices of Mr. Bayard, had the satisfaction of handing it over to
Governor Wolcott on May 24, 1897. Ten years subsequently, after Mr.
Bayard's death, another Bishop of London, engaged on a mission to
America, presented to President Roosevelt the original deed appointing
Colonel Coddington first Governor of Rhode Island. This document was
found in the muniment room at Fulham Palace; it bears the seal of the
Cromwellian Government and the signature of Bradshaw.
[Illustration: _Photograph by Welchman Bros, Retford_
THE FONT, AUSTERFIELD CHURCH
_For a long time it was believed that this font was used at the baptism
of William Bradford_]
[Illustration: THE FONT, PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHAPEL, LOUND
_The font that was probably used at the baptism of William Bradford_]
Those Americans who visited the district of Bawtry for the purpose of
seeing the Pilgrim village of Austerfield would be surprised ten years
later, in August, 1906, to hear that the font in the old parish church,
which had so often been pointed to as that at which William Bradford was
baptised, was not in reality what it had been represented to be. For
some time there was a heated controversy in the district, and this
revealed certain strange facts concerning the font which go to prove
that the Norman font used at Bradford's baptism is at the present time
in a small Primitive Methodist chapel at Lound near Retford,
Nottinghamshire. It seems that about fifty years ago the sexton, one
Milner, was ordered to clear certain rubbish out of the church at
Austerfield, and sell it. Among the objects thus disposed of was the
font. A farmer, John Jackson, became the purchaser, and a few years
later the font passed to his son, who for some time kept it in his
garden as an ornament. In 1895 the farm changed hands, the new tenant
being a Mr. Fielding, and included in the fixtures he took over was the
font, described in the auctioneers' valuation award, dated April 15,
1895, as "Garden--Stone baptismal font (formerly in Austerfield Parish
Church)." Having no wish to keep the font Mr. Fielding gave it to his
mother, a native of Austerfield, and she in turn handed it over to the
trustees of the chapel at Lound, where it still remains, jealously
guarded in the incongruous surroundings of its alien home. It is noted
that when, years ago, the clergyman at Austerfield discovered what
sexton Milner had done, he sent for him and told him of the great loss
the church had sustained. It was little use locking the stable door when
the steed had gone, but the sexton, being a man of resource, thought he
saw a way out of the difficulty. So to avoid further trouble he brought
a trough from his own farmyard and substituted it for the lost font!
That was a very impious kind of fraud indeed, but it seems quite clear
that it was perpetrated. The church authorities, it must be admitted,
have done their best to atone for the faults of the past in the
direction of trying to restore the ancient font to its original place.
Unfortunately they have not succeeded, for though good offers were made
to Mrs. Fielding and the chapel trustees, they resolutely refused to
part with the precious relic. The fear was then entertained that a
wealthy American would some day buy the font, and thus deprive the
district of one of its most historic possessions. It is questionable,
however, if that fate would be worse than the one that has already
overtaken the font. Should the failure to restore it to its rightful
place unhappily continue, the more satisfactory alternative would appear
to be its purchase and presentation, say, to the Pilgrim Church at New
Plymouth.
FOOTNOTES:
[12] "Collections Concerning the Early History of the Founders of New
Plymouth." Mr. Hunter was assistant-keeper of H.M. Records, and after
the village had remained for more than two centuries in oblivion,
located Scrooby as the birthplace of the Pilgrim Church. His sole guide
in the search were the brief statements in Bradford's History that the
members of the church "were of several towns and villages, some in
Nottinghamshire, some in Lincolnshire, and some in Yorkshire, where they
bordered nearest together," and that "they ordinarily met at William
Brewster's house on the Lord's day, which was a manor of the bishop's."
The inquiry which led to this important discovery was instigated by the
Honourable James Savage while on a visit to England. The key was
supplied by Governor Bradford, Mr. Savage detected it; Mr. Hunter
unlocked the hidden and forgotten door.
[13] In another part of England, in 1910-11, Americans were joining
hands with the people of Southampton in raising on the old West Quay of
that port a Pilgrim shrine to the men of New Plymouth who, as we know,
sailed thence in the Mayflower on their interrupted voyage to the West,
on August 5 (O.S.), 1620. It was proposed to unveil this memorial on
August 15, 1912.
THE END.
INDEX
Adams, John Quincy, 103
Ainsworth, Henry, 51
Alden, John, 128, 147
Allerton, Bartholomew, 128
Allerton, Isaac, 59, 128-131, 147, 152
Allerton, Joanna, 131
Allerton, John, 131
Allerton, Mary, 131
Allerton, Remember, 131
Allerton, Sarah (1), 147
Allerton, Sarah (2), 131
Amsterdam, 51-52, 179
"Anne," The, 95
Armstrong, Gregory, 132
Austerfield, England, 11-12, 175, 184-187
Babworth, England, 11
Barker, Elizabeth, 152
Barnstable, Mass., 143
Bawtry, 175, 184-187
Bayard, Hon. T. J., 172, 175-180, 183-184
Becket, Mary, 147-148
Bellingham, Richard, 115
Billington, Eleanor, 131, 132
Billington, Francis, 131
Billington, John (1), 131-132
Billington, John (2), 132
Billington, Martha, 143
Blommaert, Herr, 87
Bond, J. T., 163
Bonner, Bishop, 8
Boston, England, VIII, 7, 16, 19, 39, 112, 115, 168-172, 176, 180;
Pilgrim Cells, VII, XIII-XIV, 32-36, 171;
Guildhall, 20, 23-24, 32-36, 171;
Hussey Tower, 20;
Kyme Tower, 20;
Grammar School, 20;
Church, 20, 35, 171;
Gysor's Hall, 23;
"Little Ease," 36
Boston, Mass., 100, 112, 168, 183 (_see also_ Massachusetts Bay
Colony)
Bradford, Governor William, 11-12, 19, 20, 31, 43, 52, 59, 83, 84, 88,
92, 95, 100, 103, 111, 119, 132-136, 152, 167, 175, 176, 183-184
Brewer, Thomas, 52, 55
Brewster, Fear, 95, 131
Brewster, Love, 139
Brewster, Mary, 96, 139
Brewster, Patience, 95
Brewster, William, 4, 8, 11, 12, 19, 20, 23, 31, 39, 43, 52-55, 59,
83, 88, 91, 92, 96, 111, 119, 136-139, 152, 167, 175
Brewster, Wrestling, 139
Bridgewater, Mass., 148
Britteridge, Richard, 139
Brown, Dr. John, 12
Brown, Peter, 139
Button, William, 139
Caistor, England, 7
Canute, King, 4, 15
Carleton, Sir Dudley, 52-55
Carpenter, Alice, 95, 135, 143
Carter, Robert, 139
Carver, Catherine, 83, 139
Carver, Governor John, 59, 60, 79, 83, 84, 119, 132, 139, 152
Chilton, James, 140
Chilton, Mary, 140
Clark, Faith, 140
Clarke, Richard, 140
Clyfton, Richard, 11, 43, 52
Coddington, William, 115, 184
Collier, Sarah, 139
Collier, William, 139
Connecticut Plantation, 100
Cook, Esther, 140
Cook, Francis, 140
Cook, John, 140
Cooke, Jacob, 144
Cooper, Humility, 140
Cotton, John (1), 23, 115, 119
Cotton, John (2), 119
Crackston, John (1), 140
Crackston, John (2), 140
Cromwell, Oliver, 156
Cromwell, Thomas, 8
Cuckson, John, 119
Cushman, Robert, 63, 92, 95, 96
Dartmouth, England, 63
Dartmouth, Mass., 140, 148
Davidson, 8
Delfshaven, 60, 175
Dingy, Sarah, 143
Dotey, Edward, 140
Doyle's "English in America," 7
Draper, Eben S., 104, 111
Droitwich, 152
Dudley, Thomas, 115
Dunning, Dr., 168, 171
Duxbury, Mass., 128, 139, 143, 147, 148, 151;
Standish Monument, 151
Eastham, Mass., 144, 147
Eaton, Francis, 143
Eaton, Samuel, 143
Eaton, Sarah, 143
Eliot, Charles W., 104-108, 111-112
Eliot's, George, "The Mill on the Floss," 15-16, 20, 175
Ely, One, 143
English, Thomas, 143
Everett, Edward, 103
Fielding, 187-188
Fletcher, Moses, 143
Ford, Martha, 139
"Fortune," The, 92, 95, 151
Fuller, Anne, 143
Fuller, Edward, 143
Fuller, Samuel (1), 59, 100, 139
Fuller, Samuel (2), 143
Fuller, Samuel (3), 143
Fuller, Susanna (_see_ White, Susanna)
Gainsborough, England, VIII, 4, 11, 15-19, 20, 40, 51, 172, 175-176,
180;
Old Hall, 16, 175
Gardiner, Richard, 143
Glascock (Fuller), Elsie, 95, 143
Goodman, John, 143
Grimsby, England, 40
Groton, Samuel, 155
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 115, 164
Hemans, Felicia, 108, 127, 156
Hickman Family, 16
Hoar, George Frisbie, 103, 183
Holbeck, William, 144
Hooke, John, 144
Hopkins, Constance, 144
Hopkins, Elizabeth, 144
Hopkins, Giles, 144
Hopkins, Oceanus, 144
Hopkins, Stephen, 140, 144
Horncastle, England, 7
Hough, Atherton, 23, 115
Howland, John, 59, 67, 144, 151
Hoyt, Barbara, 111
Hull, England, 40
Humber, The, 40
Hunter, Rev. Joseph, 164-167
Hutchinson, Governor, 183
Immingham, England, 40
Jackson, John, 187
Jackson, Richard, 39
James I, 52
Jamestown, Va., 56
John, King, 3
Johnson, Francis, 51
Jones, Rev. J. M., 175
Jones, Captain Thomas, 60, 75-76, 167-168
Kyle, William S., IX
Langemore, John, 144
Langton, Stephen, 3-4
Latham, William, 144
Laud, Archbishop, 155
Lawrence, William B., 108
Lee, Bridget, 143
Leister, Edward, 144
Leland, 8
Leverett, John, 115
Leverett, Thomas, 115
Leyden, 51-60, 95, 96, 119, 128, 135, 143, 147, 148, 152, 155, 179,
180;
St. Peter's Church, 51, 96, 180
Lincoln, England, 7, 172
"Little James," The, 95
Lodge, Henry Cabot, 104, 108
Longfellow's "The Courtship of Miles Standish," 79, 91
Lord, Abigail, 152
Lothrop, Jane, 143
Lothrop, Rev. John, 143
Lound, England, 184, 187
Louth, England, 4-7
Mann, Jasper, 147
Margeson, Edmund, 147
Marshfield, Mass., 152
Martin, Christopher and wife, 147
Massachusetts Bay Colony, 88, 99, 100, 112-116, 132, 155
Maverick, Moses, 131
May, Dorothy, 52, 84, 135
"Mayflower," The, XIV, 4, 60-67, 75-80, 84, 92, 96, 100, 104, 107,
112, 115, 116, 127, 131,140, 148, 151, 152, 156, 163, 164, 167, 175,
180
Mayson, Mayor John, 36
McCleary, James T., 108
Meyer, George Von L., 104
Middleboro, Mass., 143, 148
Milner, 184
Milnes, Richard Monckton, 44
Minter, Desire, 147
More, Ellen, 147
More, Jasper and his brother, 147
Morton, George, 95
Morton's "New England's Memorial," 76, 100, 183
"Mourt's Relation," 95
Mullins, Joseph, 147
Mullins, Priscilla, 128, 147
Mullins, William and his wife, 139, 147
Naughton, 55
New Plymouth (_see_ Plymouth Mass.)
Newcomen, John, 132
Norris, Mary, 128
Penn, Christian, 131, 143
Pierce, John, 92
"Pilgrimage of Grace," The, 4-7
Plummer, Ann, 147
Plymouth, England, XIV, 63, 67, 92, 163-164, 168, 180
Plymouth, Mass., VII, XIV, 8, 11, 79-103, 112, 115, 116-120, 132, 188;
Pilgrim Stone, 79, 83, 127;
Cole's Hill, 83;
The Fort, 84-87, 116;
The Church, 84, 116-119;
Pilgrim Hall, 92;
Burial Hill, 116
Power, Solomon, 147
Priest, Degory, 147
Prince, Thomas, 183
Provincetown, Mass., 67, 103-112, 151
Puritans, The (_see_ Massachusetts Bay Colony)
Raleigh, Sir Walter, 56
Rassieres, Isaac de, 87
Retford, England, 11
Revere, Paul, 120
Reynolds, Captain, 63
Rigdale, Alice, 147
Rigdale, John, 147
Robinson, John, 11-15, 43, 52, 59, 60, 95-96, 155, 172, 175, 176, 179,
180
Rogers, Joseph, 147
Rogers, Thomas, 147
Roosevelt, President, VII, 103, 104, 111, 184
Ryton River, 7
Salem, Mass., 100, 131, 152
Sampson, Harry, 147
Sandwich, Mass., 147
Savage, James, 167
Scituate, Mass., 147, 152
Scrooby, England, 8, 11, 12, 16, 31, 39, 40, 51, 84, 119, 136, 167,
175
Sears, Captain J. H., 104
Sempringham, England, 7
Smith, Captain John, 56, 168
Smith, Ralph, 88, 119
Smyth, John, 11, 16, 51, 175
Snow, Damaris, 144
Snow, Nicholas, 144
Soule, George, 147-148
Southampton, England, 60, 63, 128, 180
Southworth, Edward, 95, 135
"Speedwell," The, 59-63
Standish, Barbara, 95, 151
Standish, Captain Miles, 59, 79, 83, 84, 95, 96, 111, 128, 148-151,
152
Standish, Rose, 148
Story, Ellen, 148
Taft, President, VII, 103, 104, 111
Tattershall Castle, England, 7
Thompson, Edward, 151
Tilley, Ann, 151
Tilley, Edward, 151
Tilley, Elizabeth, 144, 151
Tilley, John and wife, 144, 151
Tinker, Thomas, and wife and son, 151
Torksey, England, 4
Townes, Thomas, 163
Trent River, 3, 4, 11, 15, 40
Trevore, William, 151
Turner, John, and Sons, 151
Van Weede, M., 108
Vassall, Judith, 152
Vassall, William, 152
Vincent, Sarah, 147
Warren, Richard, 140
Warren, Sarah, 140
Webster, Daniel, 103
Wesley, John, 3, 175
Wetmore, George Peabody, 104
Wheldon, Catherine, 144
White, Justice, 104
White, Peregrine, 151-152
White, Resolved, 151, 152
White, Susanna, 151, 152
White, William, 151, 152
Whittier, VII, 176
Wickliffe, 4
Wilberforce, 183
Wilder, Roger, 152
Williams, Roger, 88, 119
Williams, Thomas, 152
Wilson, John, 88, 91, 99
Winslow, Edward, 59, 92, 95, 119, 135, 152-156
Winslow, Gilbert, 156
Winslow, John, 92, 140
Winthrop, Governor John, 88, 91, 99, 100, 115
Winthrop, Robert Charles, 103
Witham River, 15, 31
Woburn, England, 36
Wolcott, Governor, 184
Wolsey, 8
Yarmouth, Mass., 131, 140, 144
[Illustration:
Well worthy to be magnified are they
Who, with sad hearts, of friends and country took
A last farewell, their loved abodes forsook,
And hallowed ground in which their fathers lay.
Wordsworth]
[Illustration
The breaking waves dash'd high
On a stern and rock-bound coast;
And the woods, against a stormy sky,
Their giant branches toss'd.
Mrs. Hemans]
Transcriber's Notes:
A caron (^) indicates the letter following is superscripted, like ^e.
Images were moved to a convenient paragraph break.
Footnotes were renumbered sequentially and moved to the end of the
chapter.
The opening and closing illustrations are the same.
Old spellings in quoted text and poetry are retained from the original.
The following words are used interchangeably throughout this book:
cooperation co-operation
cornerstone corner-stone
Mayflower May-flower
Page 117
(Photograph by A. S. Burbank, Plymouth). Changed from 'Photgraph' of
the original.
Index
(Naughton, 55). This is most likely Naunton, referred to on Page 55.