PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS
On 16 September 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth on England’s southwestern coast, carrying 102 passengers determined to make a new life for themselves in America. But their story starts long before, in a handful of villages in the heart of England.
In the 16th and early 17th centuries life was tough for people who didn’t conform to the Church of England’s rules. Roman Catholics were famously persecuted, but even within Protestantism there was dissent from those who felt the Church of England’s ritual came between them and God. They wanted to strip away the ornament and “purify” the Church, but it was a dangerous choice. Punishment for defying the Church – and its head, the monarch – was harsh. For some, there was only one
