The Crew of the Mayflower

Over the last few weeks we've been looking at some of the events which lay behind The Mayflower leaving England for America on September 6th 1620.  We've been bringing  you a series of short biographies on some of the ship's crew members. We’ve already done blogs on Captain Christopher Jones and Master’s Mate and pilot John Clarke, both of who we know a reasonable amount about and in this blog we wrap things up with short biographies of some of the other members who we have information on. ​

Robert Coppin

Robert Coppin was also a pilot and had experience piloting ships in the New World where he had previously hunted whales in Newfoundland and sailed along the coast of New England.  He possibly came from Harwich and had invested in the Viriginia Company back in 1609.

Giles Heale

 Giles Heale  was the surgeon and doctor and had the important role of providing comfort to all who were dying or were ill.  He was from Drury Lane, in the parish of St. Giles, London and was a young man at the time of the voyage.  The year before the voyage he had completed his apprenticeship.  He survived the first winter in America and returned to England where he began his medical practice along with working as a surgeon.  He died in 1653. 

John Alden

John Alden was a Cooper and therefore had the important role of looking after the ship's barrels.  He was a distant relative of Captain Jones and came from Harwich.  At the time of the voyage he was 21 and was possibly hired at Southampton.  The barrels he looked after contained the only source of food and drink, and he had to pay carefully attention to them throughout the voyage.  He was given the option to return to England, however decided to stay.  He was amongst those who signed the Mayflower Compact.  He married Priscilla Mullins who was a passenger on the Mayflower and whose entire family had not survived the first winter.  They had 10 children and he was the last to die from those who had signed the Mayflower Compact.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellows fictional narrative poem, The Courtship of Miles Standish, (from the Victorian era) has led to their marriage being widely depicted in art and literature.

Thomas English

Thomas English – another seaman who was hired to master the shallop.  Like John Allerton he signed the Mayflower Compact and was part of the expedition in December and also died before the Mayflower left for England.
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John Allerton

John Allerton was a seaman and had been hired by the company as labour to help the Colony in their first year.  He was amongst those who signed the Mayflower Compact.  When the voyage reached American he joined Thomas English on the Mayflower’s shallop exploring the area’s coastline on the December 6th 1620.  He died before the Mayflower returned to England. Had he made the return journey he intended to help other church members in Leiden seeking to travel to America.
 

These scenes were built by James Pegrum as part of a series of models on the voyage of the Mayflower. Follow us on  Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see them first.
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