Cooke

England can be a dreary place. Cold and wet much of the time. The wind whips around the old convent as the rain pours in the open windows. The mansion nearby, in Blythe, occupied by the Cooke family, is dark but busy. Tonight, a baby will be born. The silence is broken by the wail of that new baby. Wrapped in the same silk that his family has used to make their fortune, Francis is named. He will be the last in his line to be born in this place. For over two hundred years, the Cooke family has resided here. Many holding high offices in the court. Francis is born into a life of wealth and privilege. He grew up wanting for nothing. But as he became a man, his life would lead him to follow his religious beliefs.
It is generally thought that the families in this area were originally "Romanists". William Brewster, from the nearby town of Scrooby, was one of the early leaders to consider the reform in the English church. William Brewster and Francis Cooke were friends. In 1606, a group of "Elizabethan Separatists", established a Separatist church, of which Francis became a member. A similar group had fled England to Holland in order to freely worship. Francis' congregation would follow them in 1607.
Early records reveal that Francis was a widower and had children by his first wife. No record can be found of any children that accompanied him to Holland. However, during his life in Holland, he met and married Hester Mahieu. They had 9 children together. After several years there, it was decided that the temptations of the English were too great on the children and wanting to rid themselves of everything English, they embarked on a journey for the "New World".
The Mayflower set sail on August 5th, 1620, along with the Speedwell from Southampton. Trouble with the Speedwell caused the ships to land at Dartmouth for repairs. On August 22nd, they cast off yet again. After sailing 300 miles into the Atlantic Ocean, the Speedwell's captain chose to turn back. The Mayflower returned with them. Those passengers still determined to travel were packed onto the Mayflower, however, many decided to forgo the journey. So with 102 passengers and 30 crew members...the Pilgrims finally set sail on September 6th.
As the fishermen of the day knew all too well, September was the time to seek safe harbors for winter. Surely the Pilgrims had been warned of the danger of starting their voyage at that time. Unfortunately, their money was at an end and the English were searching for William Brewster, who was hidden on the ship. Master Christopher Jones, the skipper, was a seasoned veteran of sailing the waters of the North Sea during stormy seasons and he undoubtedly knew how to handle his ship under stress.
The Mayflower was a merchant ship...not a passenger ship. The living conditions must have been horrendous, to say the least. Although the Mayflower was a large ship for the day (the size of the ship was measured by how many barrels it could carry, 180 on the, Mayflower which made it one of the largest ships for the time), the vessel was not equipped to carry passengers. Those families with enough money paid ship carpenters to build bunks for them. Others slept wherever they could find a spot.
After 66 days, averaging 2 miles per hour, the Mayflower arrived at Cape Cod. Land ahoy! was shouted on November 9th, 1620.