Along the Pilgrim Trail ~ Droitwich, Worcestershire, England Home of Edward Winslow

Along the Pilgrim Trail, Part 7

"Edward Winslow Pilgrim Father 1620" on display at Droitwich, Worcestershire, England

Vincent and I recently took the General Society of Mayflower Descendants Historic Sites Tour of England, Wales and The Netherlands along with 41 other enthusiast participants (known as "The 43").  We traced the footsteps of the Separatists and the Mayflower passengers and crew all around these countries with some amazing tour directors, guides, historians and authors.  We were given access to places off the usual tourist trails, and behind the scenes.  We had a wonderful time, and I will be blogging about it over the next few weeks.

Droitwich, is a little town that used to be a spa for its natural brine which is ten times more salty than the ocean.  There was a salt making industry there from Roman times until the 1600s.  Then it became a spa for “taking the waters” both internally and for bathing. The spa for bathing was closed in 2008 due to a flood.  

St. Peter’s church in Droitwich, which has parts dating back to the Normans, was where Edward Winslow (1595 - 1655) of the Mayflower was baptized.  The vestry added onto the church was named for Edward Winslow in 1973.   His parents, Edward Winslow, Sr, and Magdalene Oliver where parishioners at St. Peters.   Edward, Jr’s brother Gilbert was on the Mayflower, also, and three other brothers – John, Josiah and Kenelm all soon followed to New England.  

Droitwich appears to be very proud of their Pilgrim son, and there are several memorials to Edward Winslow around town.  

A statue to Edward Winslow in St. Andrew Square, Droitwich

This plaque is on the ground behind the Edward Winslow statue
"Born in Droitwich in 1598
Edward Winslow sailed to America
aboard the Mayflower in 1620
as one of the Pilgrim Fathers
determined to start a new life
free from religious persecution.
After a terrible crossing
with many deaths from disease,
bad weather drove the ship into
what is now known as Plymouth Sound
where it cast anchor.

This sculpture depicts Winslow
taking his first steps onto land
at what is now known as Plymouth Rock.
The rock became an American icon,
a symbol of intrepid discovery,
liberty, and freedom of conscience."

This large mural contains the image of the Mayflower at the top of this blog post,
and many other images from Droitwich history

St. Peter's Parish church of Droitwich

"Sacred to the memory of
EDWARD WINSLOW
Born on the 18th October 1595 in Droitwich.  He was
baptized on the 20th October of that year in this church
of St. Peter, where his father was churchwarden
1599 - 1600.  Educated at the King's School, Worchester.
He sailed with the Pilgrim Fathers for the New World
in the Mayflower on the 6th of September 1620.  He was a
founder of the colony of New Plymouth and on three
occasions its governor.  He died on the 8th May 1655."

Winslow descendants posing at St. Peter's Droitwich

St. Peter's church gate

The Droitwich official town website:   http://www.visitdroitwichspa.com/

St. Peter's Parish in Droitwich   http://www.droitwichparish.org.uk/stpeterschurchbuilding.htm

For more about Edward Winslow:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Winslow 

Good Newes from new England: or A True Relation of things very remarkable at the Planation of Plimoth in New England, by Edward Winslow, 1624, available online at this link: https://archive.org/details/goodnewesfromnew00wins

Hypocrisie Unmasked: A true relation of the proceedings of the governor and company of the Massachusetts against Samuel Gorton of Rhode Island, by Edward Winslow, 1595 – 1655 online at this link:   https://archive.org/details/hypocrisieunmask00wins 

Part 1 of this series "Babworth, Nottinghamshire":

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/along-pilgrim-trail-babworth.html 

Part 2 of this series "Scrooby Manor"

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/along-pilgrim-trail-scrooby-manor.html 

Part 3 of this series “Gainsborough, Lincolnshire”:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/along-pilgrim-trail-gainsborough.html  

Part 4 of this series "Harwich, Essex, home of the Mayflower"

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/along-pilgrim-trail-harwich-essex.html   

Part 5 this series "Stephen Hopkins of Upper Clatford, Hampshire"
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/along-pilgrim-trail-stephen-hopkins-of.html 

Part 6 of this series "William Mullins of Dorking, Surrey"
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/along-pilgrim-trail-william-mullins-of.html 

----------------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Along the Pilgrim Trail ~ Droitwich, Worcestershire, England Home of Edward Winslow”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 23, 2017, (https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/along-pilgrim-trail-droitwich.html: accessed [access date]).