by Mark Hopkins

Created on: December 30, 2009

The arrival of the Pilgrims off the New England coast in the chill air of November 21st 1620 was, for some of them, the last step on a long and determined journey to religious freedom. It had begun in England, ventured to the United Provinces of the Netherlands and at last dared the dangerous journey across storm tossed seas to what was then considered a wilderness. It had been a complex set of events which had precipitated these moves.

Many of the Pilgrims were Puritans, who might be described as extreme Protestant Christians. Puritanism had evolved in England in the sixteenth century after the Reformation had made it possible for English people to read the Bible for themselves in English. The unity of thought, belief and practice enforced earlier by the Roman Catholic Church now seemed impossible to maintain. Everyone could come to his or her own interpretation of what the Bible meant they should do to worship God properly.

English Monarchs considered it was part of their sacred duty to God to guide their subjects to worship Him correctly. Since the time of Henry VIII's break with Rome around 1530, Monarchs had struggled to come up with a religious policy which everyone in England would accept. Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) established a moderate Protestant religious policy through the official Church of England, of which she was the Head, under God. The great majority of English people were satisfied with this. Puritans and Roman Catholics were not happy with her compromise however. Today they might be considered the 'extremists'. Elizabeth fined them if they refused to attend Church of England services.

When Queen Elizabeth died, Puritans hoped for more 'enlightened' treatment from her successor and cousin, the Scottish King James VI.  Becoming King James I of England, from 1603, he  quickly received the Millenary Petition expressing Puritan desires for the reform of the Church of England. In 1604, King James presided over the Hampton Court Conference at which selected Puritans debated issues with Church of England grandees. The Conference was a huge disappointment for the Puritans. Although James had come from Scotland where Presbyterianism was strong, he had no intention of allowing similar ideas to prevail in England. He saw them as undermining Royal authority and posing a danger as a consequence. As a sop to Puritans, minor changes were made to the Book of Common Prayer and the King did set in train moves

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