Photo: Dickelbers, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
History
From Delfshaven to America: the Speedwell and the Mayflower
Almost no one realises one of America's most famous voyages started right here, in a Rotterdam harbour, just not quite the way the story usually gets told.
In July 1620, English Separatists left Leiden and boarded the Speedwell at Delfshaven, then a separate harbour town, now part of Rotterdam. The Speedwell never reached America: leaks forced it back to England twice, and it was abandoned. The Mayflower alone completed the crossing, departing from Plymouth, England, on 6 September 1620 (16 September, Gregorian calendar).
- Speedwell's departure
- Delfshaven, then a separate town on the Maas, now part of Rotterdam, on 22 July 1620 (source: Oude of Pelgrimvaderskerk, Pilgrim Hall Museum).
- Mayflower's departure
- Plymouth, England, alone, on 6 September 1620 (16 September, Gregorian calendar). Not Rotterdam, and not Delfshaven.
- John Robinson
- Stayed behind in Leiden as the congregation's pastor; died there on 1 March 1625, before he could join the colony.
- William Bradford
- Sailed on the Mayflower as a passenger, not its captain; became governor of Plymouth Colony in 1621.
- Holland America Line
- Founded in Rotterdam on 18 April 1873, 253 years after the Pilgrims left, with no institutional link to their voyage.
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What happened in Delfshaven in 1620?
The English Separatists who became known as the Pilgrims had lived in Leiden since 1609, having left England to practise their faith freely. In July 1620, part of that congregation travelled from Leiden to Delfshaven, at the time an independent harbour town on the Maas that later merged into Rotterdam. There they boarded the Speedwell, a small ship bought for the venture, bound first for England to join the Mayflower.
The Oude of Pelgrimvaderskerk, standing on the Aelbrechtskolk canal, is closely linked to that departure and carries the Pilgrims' name to this day. The church building itself dates to 1417, when it was consecrated as the Sint-Anthoniskapel; it only became a Reformed church later, after 1574. Local heritage sources note that the group's farewell prayers most likely took place on or near the quay by the church rather than inside the building itself, since the Separatists followed a different faith tradition from the congregation that used it. Treat the church as the place inseparably associated with the departure, not as documented proof of an indoor service.
The Speedwell: the ship that never made it to America
The Speedwell was bought specifically for the Pilgrim venture, with the intention of keeping it in the new colony afterwards for fishing and coastal trade. It carried the Leiden group from Delfshaven to Southampton, where it was due to sail on to America together with the Mayflower. Once at sea, the Speedwell began taking on water. Both ships put back to Dartmouth for repairs, set out again, and found the Speedwell still leaking; they returned a second time, now to Plymouth, England, where the Speedwell was declared unfit and left behind. Some of her passengers, and some of her supplies, transferred to the already-crowded Mayflower before it sailed on alone.
Mini-timeline: the Speedwell's aborted voyage
- 22 July 1620Departs Delfshaven with the Leiden group, bound for Southampton.
- SouthamptonJoins the Mayflower; the two ships set out together, then a leak is found.
- DartmouthBoth ships put back for repairs, then try again.
- Plymouth, EnglandLeaking a second time, both ships return; the Speedwell is abandoned and never sails to America.
The Mayflower did not depart from Rotterdam
This is the detail most retellings get wrong: the Mayflower never sailed from Delfshaven, or from anywhere in Rotterdam. After the Speedwell was abandoned, the Mayflower departed alone from Plymouth, England, on 6 September 1620 by the calendar in use at the time (the Julian calendar), which corresponds to 16 September 1620 on today's Gregorian calendar. The crossing took roughly 66 days. The ship first sighted land at Cape Cod on 11 November 1620 (21 November, Gregorian), before the group chose the site they named Plymouth for their settlement.
The Mayflower's captain was Christopher Jones, an experienced master who had already sailed her for around a decade. William Bradford, a passenger, was not the captain, a common mix-up covered in the next section.
John Robinson and William Bradford
Two names come up constantly in this story, and they are often confused with each other. One stayed in the Netherlands; the other made the crossing and helped lead the colony that followed.
| Person | Role | Sailed on the Mayflower? | Historical significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Robinson | Pastor of the Leiden Separatist congregation from 1609 | No | Guided and supported the emigration plan but stayed behind in Leiden, where he died on 1 March 1625, before he could join the colony. |
| William Bradford | Member of the Leiden congregation; later colonial governor | Yes, as a passenger | Elected governor of Plymouth Colony in 1621 and re-elected many times over more than three decades; wrote the history Of Plymouth Plantation. Not the ship's captain. |
Why did the Separatists leave Leiden?
No single reason explains the decision to leave a city where they had lived for over a decade. Religious freedom mattered, but it was not the whole story: as English exiles doing low-paid textile work, many struggled financially, and some worried their children were growing up more Dutch than English, drifting from their language and their faith community. Set against that was a genuine, practical opportunity: a commercially backed venture, financed by London investors, to establish an English colony in America under its own church government. The Pilgrims were neither purely religious refugees nor purely opportunistic settlers; both motives shaped the decision.
From the Mayflower to Holland America Line
Rotterdam's other famous transatlantic story starts 253 years later and has no institutional connection to the Pilgrims at all. In 1871, the trading firm Plate, Reuchlin & Co was founded in Rotterdam; its ship Rotterdam made the company's first crossing to New York in 1872. On 18 April 1873, the business was formally established as the Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij, which became known internationally, and was later officially renamed, as Holland America Line. It grew into one of the major transatlantic passenger and cargo lines of the steamship era, an entirely commercial enterprise, not a continuation of a religious congregation's 1620 voyage. Both stories touch Rotterdam; only one of them touches the Pilgrims.
The full timeline at a glance
From the Pilgrim Fathers' Church to Holland America Line
- 1417The building later known as the Pelgrimvaderskerk is consecrated as the Sint-Anthoniskapel in Delfshaven.
- 1609English Separatists, later called the Pilgrims, settle in Leiden.
- 22 July 1620The Speedwell departs Delfshaven with part of the Leiden congregation, bound for Southampton.
- August 1620The Speedwell and Mayflower set out together, are forced back twice by leaks, and the Speedwell is abandoned at Plymouth, England.
- 6/16 September 1620The Mayflower departs Plymouth, England, alone (old-style/Gregorian dates).
- 11/21 November 1620First landfall at Cape Cod; the group later chooses the site they name Plymouth.
- 1621William Bradford is elected governor of Plymouth Colony.
- 1 March 1625John Robinson dies in Leiden, having never made the crossing.
- 8 February 1871Plate, Reuchlin & Co, the Rotterdam trading firm that became Holland America Line, is founded.
- 1872The steamship Rotterdam makes the company's first crossing to New York.
- 18 April 1873The Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij is officially founded, later known as Holland America Line.
See it in Rotterdam today
Historic Delfshaven survived the 1940 bombing that destroyed Rotterdam's medieval centre, so its 17th-century canals, warehouses and the Oude of Pelgrimvaderskerk itself are still standing much as they would have looked in 1620; see the Rotterdam history guide for how the district was later struck, by mistake, in a separate 1943 bombing. The church stands on the Aelbrechtskolk canal and can be viewed from the outside at any time; check the Rotterdam things-to-do guide for Delfshaven's other landmarks, including the Piet Heynsbrug drawbridge visible in the photo above. For maritime history in more depth, the museums guide covers the Maritiem Museum Rotterdam and the Museum Rotterdam '40-'45 NU exhibit in Delfshaven itself. See getting around Rotterdam for RET metro and tram fares to reach the district.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the Mayflower depart from Rotterdam?
No. The Mayflower never called at Rotterdam or Delfshaven. It departed alone from Plymouth, England, on 6 September 1620 (16 September on today's Gregorian calendar), after the Speedwell, which had sailed from Delfshaven, was abandoned as unseaworthy.
What role did the Speedwell play?
The Speedwell carried the Leiden Separatists from Delfshaven to England, where it was meant to sail on to America alongside the Mayflower. Persistent leaks forced it back twice, to Dartmouth and then to Plymouth, where it was abandoned; some of its passengers transferred to the already-crowded Mayflower.
Where is the Pilgrim Fathers' Church?
The Oude of Pelgrimvaderskerk stands on the Aelbrechtskolk canal in Delfshaven, Rotterdam. The building dates to 1417, when it was consecrated as the Sint-Anthoniskapel; it is closely associated with the Pilgrims' 1620 departure, though local heritage sources describe the farewell prayers as most likely held near the church rather than inside it.
Who was John Robinson?
John Robinson was the pastor who led the English Separatist congregation in Leiden from 1609. He supported the emigration to America but did not sail himself, staying behind in Leiden, where he died on 1 March 1625.
Who was William Bradford?
William Bradford travelled from Leiden via Delfshaven and England to America as a Mayflower passenger. He was not the ship's captain, that was Christopher Jones, but became governor of Plymouth Colony in 1621 and later wrote the history Of Plymouth Plantation.
Why did the Separatists leave Leiden?
For a mix of reasons: the freedom to practise their own faith, economic hardship as low-paid textile workers, worry that their children were losing their English language and identity, and the practical, commercially backed opportunity of a colonial venture in America.
When was Holland America Line founded?
The Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij, later known internationally as Holland America Line, was officially founded in Rotterdam on 18 April 1873, building on the trading firm Plate, Reuchlin & Co, founded in 1871, whose ship Rotterdam made its first Atlantic crossing in 1872.
Is Holland America Line connected to the Pilgrims' voyage?
No. Holland America Line is a commercial steamship company founded 253 years after the Pilgrims left Delfshaven, with no institutional link to their 1620 voyage. Any connection is one of geography, both stories touch Rotterdam, not of continuity.
Did Ferdinand Columbus discover America?
No. Ferdinand Columbus, born in 1488, was Christopher Columbus's son, a cosmographer, book collector and his father's biographer. He was not born until after Christopher Columbus's first Caribbean voyages and did not discover America himself.
See the full Rotterdam history guide for the 1940 bombing and Delfshaven's own wartime story, the Rotterdam things-to-do guide for Delfshaven's canals and landmarks today, the museums guide for the Maritiem Museum and Museum Rotterdam '40-'45 NU, and getting around Rotterdam for RET metro and tram fares.