Letters to the Mayflower
In 1620, one of the key events that happened in Southampton was the reading of a letter from John Robinson, the Puritan Separatists Pastor who had remained behind in Leiden; this was read on board the ship before she sailed away.
The letter discusses how to live onboard, and in their planned new settlement, in a way that is understanding and accepting of difference. He discusses the nature of good governance, telling the Puritans that they should work for the common good, elect a good leader who can do that, and that they should pick a man for his honourable actions and not because he looks flashy or talks a good talk.
If you were writing a letter to the Mayflower passengers today, what would you want to say about their voyage? About living well as a community? About understanding and living with people who might be different from us? About the nature of good leadership? Or about being good neighbours? Why not write your own ‘letter to the Mayflower’ and send it to us as a short film and/or a written piece at: mayflower400@southampton.gov.uk We will post a range of the most interesting letters on our social media channels.
