From Austerfield to Boston via Scrooby, Gainsborough and Lincoln; the Mayflower trail

This was hidden behind the Wall Street Journal paywall. Nothing against that; just too mean to cough up. Here’s a piece following the Separatist fugitives on their first attempt to flee persecution in England and find freedom of thought in Holland.

I traced their footsteps when researching my book on the Mayflower - Voices of the Mayflower, the saints, strangers and sly knaves who changed the world. Out now!

March 13, 2020 

KING HENRY VIII of England had no doubts. In 1536, faced with uppity “traitors and rebels,” he dubbed the county of Lincolnshire as one of the “most brute and beestelie [beastly] of the hole realme.” It was a tad unfair but, even today, the county is not an immediate choice as a vacation destination. It’s a part of northern England that drivers speed through, unimpressed by the big skies and widescreen sunsets and unaware of the historic secrets to be discovered in the villages, great halls and solid stone churches.

This year presents a compelling reason to visit: 2020 is the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower voyage to New England, and it was in that ‘beastly’ county and the neighboring districts of Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire where the seeds of religious dissidence were sown, leading eventually to that momentous adventure.

Where to start? The trail begins in the village of Austerfield, some 160 miles due north of London. It ends some 60 miles away near Boston, Lincolnshire, where, in 1607, the dissidents made their first abortive attempt to flee persecution and settle in the tolerant Netherlands. Eventually they succeeded and moved first to Amsterdam and then to the city of Leiden until, disillusioned, they decided to settle in America. After their own ship, the Speedwell, sprang a leak, they were forced to sail on the Mayflower from Plymouth, England.

It was in Austerfield that William Bradford, who was to become the governor of Plymouth, New England, was born in 1590 and where he lived in his grandfather’s house, which today is a modest private home. There’s nothing picture-postcard, thatch-and-timber about the village, but the 11th-century church of St Helena’s is a simple limestone building with a little bell tower and a font in which the boy might have been baptized in the spring of 1590. The church is an oasis of calm with its graveyard of lopsided gravestones, looming conifers and a view across empty countryside that has changed little since young Bradford’s day.

The boy’s beliefs in the radical movement of Separatism were fired by William Brewster, who, as postmaster, lived in Scrooby Manor a little more than 2 miles away. The manor had become a hotbed of dissent, and Bradford would trudge along the cart tracks to join his mentor. The manor was demolished around 1636, though one wing was renovated as a private farmhouse in 1750. The church of St. Wilfrid’s is still standing, where, it’s said, Brewster himself may have prayed on two well-worn pews, preserved from the 16th century. The Scrooby congregation often walked the 7 miles to All Saints’ Church, Babworth, to seek inspiration from one of the movement’s most charismatic speakers, Richard Clyfton.

It’s an atmospheric, shadowy spot with a churchyard covered in snowdrops in late winter and daffodils in spring. Inside—forgive the irreverence—you will find the force is with you; a well-worn stone figure in the knave looks uncannily like Yoda, the seer of Star Wars.

These churches are humble places of worship—some of the pews are in need of varnish, the paint is often peeling on walls, the floors uneven, with memorial stones smoothed down by generations of footsteps. There’s the slight damp smell that pervades ancient buildings. Let the imagination roam; conjure up the voices raised in pietistic passion.

It is possible to follow in Bradford’s footsteps along the 9 miles or so from Austerfield to Babworth, though the cart tracks and byways have been mostly replaced by tarmac. Walk or drive, this might be the moment to pause. Retford, one mile away, has recently opened a Pilgrims Gallery in the Bassetlaw Museum, dedicated to the Mayflower story.

The journey is far from over. It is likely they walked—or sailed—to Gainsborough, where they probably gathered in the Old Hall. Tucked away in back streets, it is one of the best preserved timber-frame manor houses in the U.K., with a spectacular vaulted hall and a vast kitchen and fireplaces big enough to roast an ox.

This is the moment for those with stout boots and hearts to embrace the inner Pilgrim and get hiking. You can follow the River Trent as it snakes its way to Torksey Lock about 5 miles away, where it meets the Fossdyke canal, built by the Romans in AD 120; on to Lincoln, another 10 miles. Boston is 30 miles away along the banks of the River Witham; you can amble through empty marshland with fishermen, butterflies and birds for company. The trail is long, but it is flat.

The fugitives would have slunk past Lincoln for fear of arrest, but this is most definitely not a place to bypass. Lincoln’s old town is a delight of cobbled streets, antique shops and cafes, dominated by the cathedral, a confection of Gothic flying buttresses, ribbed vaults and pointed arches. From Aug. 1 to Sept. 30, its Wren Library will display writings from the Mayflower adventure such as an original copy of “Good News from New England,” an account of life in the settlement, written in 1624 by Pilgrim stalwart Edward Winslow. Seeing its frayed pages brings a flutter to the soul.

Let’s be realistic: Few will walk the walk. Most will rent a car to drive one hour to Boston or join one of the tours organized by Mayflower 400, which is supervising the anniversary events and outings (mayflower400uk.org). In Boston stands the looming 16th-century tower of St. Botolph’s church, better known, rather inelegantly, as the Stump. Stretching 272 feet high, it was a landmark for seafarers and travelers long before the Pilgrims arrived. And on the bleak banks of the River Haven a memorial marks the spot where the fugitives were seized as they boarded the ship they hired to take them to freedom. They were flung into the cramped cells of the town’s 14th-century Guildhall and forced to face the magistrates in the courtroom—all still well preserved.

Nothing could deter them, however. By the summer of 1608 most of them had escaped England, and Bradford declared: “In the end... they all got over... and met together again with no small rejoicing.”

THE LOWDOWN

Getting There and Around

LNER trains run from London Kings Cross to Retford (about 80 minutes one-way) and Lincoln (two hours). Fares vary enormously, so book in advance on Trainline (thetrainline.com). To make the most of this latter-day pilgrimage check out mayflower400tours.com for guided tours, hotels and details of key sights, or contact local guides such as Adrian Gray (pilgrimsandprophets.co.uk), who will explain the history, knows where the best pubs are and, above all, will ensure the churches are open. The local tourist boards, notably Visit Nottinghamshire (visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk) and Visit Lincolnshire (visitlincolnshire.com) can also offer useful guidance.

Staying There

The White Hart hotel, in the heart of Lincoln’s old town, offers decent rooms, a bar and a grill that serves a solid full English breakfast, complete with black pudding and beans. Some bedroom windows look out over the cathedral, while the 11th-century castle is just across the square (from about $162 a night, whitehart-lincoln.co.uk). Boston also has a White Hart hotel (no relation), set on the market square, round the corner from the Guildhall and the Stump. For a not-so-light lunchtime snack at the hotel restaurant, try the locally made Boston sausage with toasted brioche and red onion marmalade (from $106 a night, whitehartboston.com). In Retford— a handy base if you’re planning to visit the villages of Austerfield, Scrooby and Babworth—book Ye Olde Bell Inn, which comes with a spa (from $115 a night, yeoldebell-hotel.co.uk).

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