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Beginning in modern dress, historian Richard Pickering will describe the Pilgrims' Mayflower voyage, exploration of Cape Cod in November and December 1620, and the harrowing (almost fatal) adventure that led them to select Plymouth as their settlement site. Then, right before your eyes, with historical clothing and artifacts provided by Plimoth Patuxet Museums, he will transform into Mayflower passenger William Brewster. As an eyewitness, Brewster will describe the Pilgrims' trials in founding Plymouth Colony.
William Brewster served as Ruling Elder of Plymouth's congregation until his death in 1644. When he was a teenager, Brewster served as secretary to William Davison, one of Queen Elizabeth I's three Secretaries of State. He probably handled the death paperwork for Mary Queen of Scot's execution, and he was with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor during Mary's trial. Davison was sent to the Tower of London after the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, because he became Elizabeth's scapegoat to distance herself from responsibility in the death of her fellow queen. Brewster remained in London, and along with Robert Devereux the ill-fated second Earl of Essex, took care of his master. He saw court intrigue at the highest level, and came to know the dangers of being close to the crown. He chose to return to the English countryside and served as the bailiff of Scrooby Manor, a palace owned by the Archbishop of York. It was here that he became a religious dissident, An abandonment of the Anglican Church that would direct his life toward Holland and New England. Brewster's life exemplifies the sophistication of the men involved in establishing Plymouth. Brewster knew key intellectual and political figures of the day: Francis Bacon, Robert Dudley--the Earl of Leicester, Sir Philip Sydney, Lord Burleigh, and Sir Francis Walsingham. (Burleigh and Walsingham were the source material for Polonius in Hamlet.)
Richard Pickering is the Deputy Executive Director at Plimoth Patuxet Museums, the living history museum of 17th-century Plymouth Colony and the Wampanoag Homeland. He has been with the Museum for forty years and has served as a historical role player, research associate, Director of Education, and Director of Special Projects. He also studied English and American Studies in graduate programs at the College of William and Mary and the University of Connecticut.
Richard Pickering
He holds a BA in English from Bridgewater State University. Richard serves as the Museum's Senior Historian as well as overseeing development of educational and theatrical programs. He has spoken at the United Nations and Smithsonian National Museum of American History and has appeared on NPR, PBS, History Channel, NECN, NBC News, C-Span, ABC's The Chew and Joan and Melissa: Mother Knows Best with Joan Rivers. He also worked on Ric Burns' film The Pilgrims for American Experience as well as Fox's film on the history of Thanksgiving hosted by Brian Kilmeade, and the Smithsonian Channel documentary on Thanksgiving that debuted at the Museum in November before international broadcast.
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