Pilgrims to America: A Pictorial History

The Scrooby Pilgrims spent little time in Amsterdam - only one year - before they moved to Leiden, home of the famous university. It appears that disagreements over church affairs (with fellow Englishmen in Amsterdam) were, at least in part, the reason for their departure.

Not much in Amsterdam commemorates the presence of the Pilgrims in that city. Some of the highlights, still standing, are:

• The Zuiderkerk: Now deconsecrated (and used as an exhibition center instead of a church), the Zuiderkerk was finished not long after the Pilgrims arrived and is the burial place of Richard Clyfton. Pastor of All Saint's Parish in Babworth, England (where a model of the Mayflower reminds today's parishioners of their connection to the Pilgrims), Clyfton was William Bradford's minister. (Bradford later followed his pastor to Amsterdam). The separatist movement, at All Saint's, began  under Clyfton's teaching. He died, in Amsterdam, before the Pilgrims left for America.



• In the middle of Amsterdam, one of Europe's busy cities, is a beautiful spot known as the Begijnhof. In this oasis-like place, a church (built in the 14th century) was given to English-speaking Protestants (in 1607). The Scrooby Pilgrims - as commemorated by a plaque - worshiped in that church during their Amsterdam days.

Moving to Leiden, the Pilgrims settled in for more than a decade. Where did they live?