When visitors think of Retford, they often picture the bustling Market Square, the award-winning Kings Park, or the elegant Georgian architecture that graces Carolgate. Yet beneath the surface of this charming Nottinghamshire market town lies a story of extraordinary historical significance—one that would shape the very foundations of modern America. The area surrounding Retford, particularly the tiny village of Babworth, served as the crucible where religious dissent transformed into a movement that would culminate in the Mayflower voyage of 1620.
The Crucible of Change: Babworth Church
Nestled in the tranquil countryside just a few miles from Retford's centre, All Saints' Church at Babworth appears at first glance to be a typical English country church. Dating back to the 15th century, its stone walls and peaceful churchyard seem far removed from revolutionary ideas. Yet it was here, in this unassuming parish church, that the seeds of religious separatism were planted—seeds that would eventually flower on distant American shores.
In 1586, Richard Clyfton was instituted as rector of All Saints' Church. Born around 1553 near Babworth itself, Clyfton had attended the University of Cambridge, then a hotbed of English Puritanism. When he returned to his native Nottinghamshire as an ordained minister, he brought with him ideas that challenged the very foundations of religious authority in Elizabethan England.
Clyfton was no ordinary country parson. His sermons drew from the newly available English translations of the Bible—particularly the Geneva Bible, which included annotations and was far more accessible than previous versions. For the first time, ordinary people could read scripture in their own language, and Clyfton encouraged this revolutionary practice. He favoured open prayer over the rigid formulas prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer, refused to wear the white surplice required of preachers, and rejected many of the ceremonial "trappings" that the Church of England mandated.
The impact of Clyfton's preaching was profound. People travelled from miles around to hear him speak. Among his regular congregants were two men who would become central figures in the Mayflower story: William Brewster and a young teenager named William Bradford. Their Sunday journeys to Babworth would prove to be pilgrimages in the truest sense of the word.
William Brewster: The Educated Elder
William Brewster was born around 1566 in or near Scrooby, a village approximately seven miles from Babworth along the Great North Road. The Brewster family occupied a privileged position in local society. William's father served as bailiff and postmaster at Scrooby Manor, a property belonging to the Archbishop of York, and young William grew up in comfortable circumstances.
Unlike most of his contemporaries, Brewster received a university education, attending Peterhouse, Cambridge, in December 1580. Though he left without completing his degree—then no particular disgrace for someone not pursuing an academic or clerical career—his time at Cambridge exposed him to Reformed theology and the currents of religious dissent flowing through the university.
After Cambridge, Brewster entered the service of William Davison, serving as his secretary during diplomatic missions to the Netherlands in 1584 and 1585-6. These travels proved formative, exposing Brewster to the religious tolerance and Reformed Christianity flourishing in the Low Countries. When Davison fell from Queen Elizabeth's favour following his involvement in the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, Brewster's own career in royal service ended. He returned to Scrooby and eventually assumed his father's positions as postmaster and bailiff.
It was during this period that Brewster began making the regular six- or seven-mile walk to Babworth to hear Richard Clyfton preach. Each Sunday, Brewster would attend the lengthy services at All Saints', absorbing Clyfton's teachings. He would then walk back to Scrooby, where he would share what he had learnt with others. This practice of "gadding about"—worshipping at a parish other than one's own—was illegal, and churchwardens kept careful records of attendance. Yet Brewster and others risked fines and worse to hear Clyfton's message.
William Bradford: The Orphaned Seeker
The path from Austerfield to Babworth passed through Scrooby, and it was along this route that William Brewster encountered young William Bradford. The meeting of these two men—one a settled family man with education and position, the other a bereaved teenager—would prove momentous for both.
William Bradford was baptised on 19th March 1590 in Austerfield, a village in what was then Yorkshire (now South Yorkshire), approximately ten miles from Babworth. His early life was marked by tragedy. His father William died when the boy was just one year old. He lived with his grandfather William until the age of six, when his grandfather died. The following year, his mother Alice also died. Orphaned of both parents and grandparents, William and his older sister Alice were raised by their uncle Robert Bradford at the Manor House in Austerfield.
Bradford was a sickly child, and this physical fragility may have contributed to his intellectual development. By the age of twelve, he had taken to reading the Bible—a practice that was becoming possible for ordinary people with the availability of English translations. As he approached adolescence, Bradford became aware of Richard Clyfton's preaching at Babworth and began making the long Sunday walk to hear him.
Bradford's family disapproved of his religious inclinations. His uncles and other relatives were reportedly scornful and dismissive of the "religious bent" he was developing. Yet the teenager persisted, and it was during these Sunday journeys that he met William Brewster. The two men—Bradford an intellectual youth and Brewster a mature family man—walked together, undoubtedly discussing Clyfton's sermons and their implications. A deep friendship and mutual respect developed between them that would endure for the rest of their lives.
The Separatist Movement Takes Root
By the 1590s, England was experiencing increasing religious tension. When James I ascended to the throne in 1603, many Puritans hoped for reform of the Church of England. Instead, at the Hampton Court Conference of 1604, James declared his intention to enforce conformity, threatening to "harry them out of the land, or else do worse."
The pressure intensified. In 1605, Richard Clyfton was brought before the Archbishop's Chancery Court and accused of non-conformity. He was deprived of his living at Babworth, effectively dismissed from his position. Yet rather than silencing the movement, this action only strengthened it. Clyfton continued to preach, and Brewster offered him and his displaced congregation a haven at Scrooby Manor.
The Separatists now met in secret at Brewster's home, directly across from St. Wilfrid's Church where Brewster himself had been baptised and married. They formally organised themselves into an independent Separatist congregation in 1606, with Richard Clyfton as pastor and William Brewster as ruling elder. They were later joined by John Robinson, a Cambridge-educated minister from nearby Sturton-le-Steeple, who became teacher to the congregation.
Meeting in secret was dangerous. The authorities were aware of their activities, and members of the congregation faced fines, imprisonment, and worse. Two Separatist leaders, Henry Barrowe and John Greenwood, had been executed for sedition. The Scrooby congregation knew that their very lives were at risk.
The Journey to Holland and Beyond
By 1607, the situation had become untenable. The congregation decided to flee to the Netherlands, where religious tolerance was greater. Their first attempt to leave England ended in betrayal and imprisonment when a ship captain turned them over to the authorities. Eventually, however, they managed to escape, arriving in Amsterdam in 1608 before settling in Leiden in 1609.
William Bradford, then just eighteen years old, was among those who fled. William Brewster, now in his forties, brought his knowledge, his library of several hundred books, and his organisational abilities to the new community. In Leiden, the congregation flourished under the leadership of John Robinson, whilst Brewster worked teaching English to university students and operating a printing press that produced religious books illegally smuggled into England.
Richard Clyfton, by now an elderly man, remained in Amsterdam and died there in 1616. He never saw the New World, but his teaching had set events in motion that would reshape it. William Bradford would later describe him as a "grave and fatherly old man" with "a great white beard."
After more than a decade in the Netherlands, concerns about maintaining their English identity and culture led the congregation to consider establishing a colony in America. The arrangements were complex, involving financial backing and land grants. When the Mayflower finally set sail from Plymouth, England, in September 1620, both Brewster and Bradford were aboard. John Robinson remained in Leiden with the majority of the congregation, intending to follow later—a reunion that would never occur.
The Legacy of Babworth
The journey from Babworth to Plymouth, Massachusetts, was both physical and spiritual. What began with Richard Clyfton's sermons in a Nottinghamshire country church became the foundation of Plymouth Colony and, ultimately, contributed to the shaping of American ideals of religious freedom and self-governance.
William Brewster served as the religious leader of the Plymouth Colony, effectively its minister for many years in the absence of an ordained pastor. His education and diplomatic experience proved invaluable to the struggling settlement. He died in 1644, having helped establish a colony that would survive and grow.
William Bradford became governor of Plymouth Colony in 1621 following the death of John Carver, and served in that capacity for approximately thirty years. His history, "Of Plymouth Plantation," remains one of the most important primary sources for understanding the early colonial period. Bradford died in 1657, having witnessed his small band of Separatists grow into a thriving community.
Visiting the Pilgrim Sites Today
For visitors to Retford and the surrounding area, the Pilgrim heritage offers a fascinating journey into the past. All Saints' Church at Babworth remains open to visitors and hosts regular events celebrating its connection to the Mayflower story. The church itself is a beautiful example of medieval architecture, and standing within its walls, one can imagine Brewster and Bradford listening intently to Clyfton's revolutionary sermons.
The Mayflower Pilgrim Visitor Centre at The Hub in Retford's Churchgate provides an excellent introduction to the story, with interactive displays, artefacts, and educational materials suitable for all ages. The centre explains the broader context of the Reformation, the specific circumstances that led to the Separatist movement, and the connections between this area and the founding of America.
Scrooby, whilst primarily a private residential area today, can be glimpsed from viewing points along Station Road. St. Wilfrid's Church at Scrooby, where Brewster was likely baptised and married, welcomes visitors who wish to sit in the original wooden pews and reflect on the courage it took to challenge religious authority.
The Bassetlaw Museum in Retford houses the Pilgrims Gallery, featuring a reimagined space depicting Brewster's study at Scrooby Manor, along with maps and exhibits showing the network of villages and churches that formed the heart of the Separatist movement in North Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, and Lincolnshire.
Retford's Global Connection
The story of Retford's connection to the Mayflower reminds us that history is made not only by monarchs and generals but also by ordinary people with extraordinary convictions. Richard Clyfton, William Brewster, and William Bradford were provincial Englishmen who might have lived and died in obscurity. Instead, their willingness to question authority, to seek truth as they understood it, and to sacrifice comfort and security for principle helped shape a new world.
Today, North Nottinghamshire proudly celebrates this heritage. The Pilgrim Roots project has developed trails, educational programmes, and events that bring this story to life for new generations. Visitors from America regularly make the pilgrimage in reverse, travelling to these quiet English villages to walk the paths their ancestors walked and to see the church where it all began.
Beyond the Market Square, beyond the pleasant cafés and historic buildings of modern Retford, lies a story of global significance. It is a story that begins with a country parson preaching radical ideas in a village church, continues through the courage of those willing to risk everything for their beliefs, and culminates in the establishment of principles that would influence not just America but democratic societies worldwide. This is Retford's remarkable gift to history—a legacy of religious freedom, self-governance, and the courage to challenge unjust authority that resonates to this day.
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