Peter Browne
[''A genealogical profile of Peter Browne,'' (a collaboration of Plymouth Plantation and New England Historic Genealogical Society accessed 2016), https://www.plimoth.org/sites/default/files/wysiwyg-images/brown_peter_2.pdf] ( 15941633), was a passenger on the historic 1620 voyage of the ''
Mayflower
''Mayflower'' was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, r ...
'' and was a signatory of the
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact, originally titled Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth, was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the men aboard the ''Mayflower,'' consisting of separatist Puritans, adventurers, an ...
.
[Caleb H. Johnson, ''The Mayflower and Her Passengers,'' (Indiana:Xlibris Corp., 2006), p. 107]
Life in England
Browne was baptised on 26 January 1594/5 in
Dorking
Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp Br ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, England. This was the same home town as other ''Mayflower'' passengers – the
Mullins family.
[Caleb H. Johnson, ''The Mayflower and Her Passengers'' (Indiana: Xlibris Corp., 2006), p. 102]
Peter Browne was a son of William Browne of Dorking. He had two older siblings, Jane and Thomas, as well as three younger brothers, Samuel, John and James. In or about 1605, when Peter was about ten years of age, his father died and the children may have been sent to family members and friends under apprenticeships. A local weaver probably apprenticed the three youngest sons in that line of work.
Browne may have heard of the proposed ''Mayflower'' voyage from his relationship with the Mullins family. William Mullins was a shoe and boot maker in Dorking and was one of the Londoners who was later involved in the financial support of the ''Mayflower'' voyage. Peter's sister Jane had married John Hammon in Dorking in 1610 and her mother-in-law, Jane Hammon, had appointed William Mullins as her estate administrator. Also, John Hammon's sister Susan married Ephraim Bothell, who purchased William Mullins's property and home before Mullins and his family boarded the ''Mayflower''.
On the ''Mayflower''
The relationship between Peter Browne and the Mullins family in Dorking did seem quite close. As a single man of about age twenty-five, and possibly coming from an apprenticeship, he boarded the ''Mayflower'' in the company of the Mullins family. But these ties were to be broken with the death of William Mullins, his wife Alice and son Joseph soon after arrival in the New World.
The ''Mayflower'' departed
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
, England on 6/16 September 1620. The small, 100-foot ship had 102 passengers and a crew of about 30–40 in extremely cramped conditions. By the second month out, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales, causing the ship's timbers to be badly shaken with caulking failing to keep out sea water, and with passengers, even in their berths, lying wet and ill. This, combined with a lack of proper rations and unsanitary conditions for several months, attributed to what would be fatal for many, especially the majority of women and children. On the way there were two deaths, a crew member and a passenger, but the worst was yet to come after arriving at their destination when, in the space of several months, almost half the passengers perished in cold, harsh, unfamiliar New England winter.
On 9/19 November 1620, after about 3 months at sea, including a month of delays in England, they spotted land, which was Cape Cod. And after several days of trying to get south to their planned destination of the
Colony of Virginia
The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...
, strong winter seas forced them to return to the harbor at the Cape Cod hook, where they anchored on 11/11 November
*.html"_;"title="Mayflower_Compact_signatories.html"_;"title="1/21_November_N.S._Mayflower_Compact_signatories">*">Mayflower_Compact_signatories.html"_;"title="1/21_November_N.S._Mayflower_Compact_signatories">*_Realizing_they_were_not_at_the_intended_destination_they_determined_to_bind_themselves_as_a_democratically_governed_and_administered_colony_loyal_to_England.__This_document_became_known_as_the_Mayflower_Compact_and_was_signed_by_all_eligible_men_on_behalf_of_themselves,_their_families,_their_fortunes_and_property.
Peter_Browne_was_one_of_the_men_who_signed_the_Mayflower_Compact."
__In_Plymouth_Colony_
On_12_January_1621,_while_the_Pilgrims_were_building_their_settlement_of_Plymouth,_Peter_Browne,_
*.html"_;"title="Mayflower_Compact_signatories.html"_;"title="1/21_November_N.S._Mayflower_Compact_signatories">*">Mayflower_Compact_signatories.html"_;"title="1/21_November_N.S._Mayflower_Compact_signatories">*_Realizing_they_were_not_at_the_intended_destination_they_determined_to_bind_themselves_as_a_democratically_governed_and_administered_colony_loyal_to_England.__This_document_became_known_as_the_Mayflower_Compact_and_was_signed_by_all_eligible_men_on_behalf_of_themselves,_their_families,_their_fortunes_and_property.
Peter_Browne_was_one_of_the_men_who_signed_the_Mayflower_Compact."
__In_Plymouth_Colony_
On_12_January_1621,_while_the_Pilgrims_were_building_their_settlement_of_Plymouth,_Peter_Browne,_John_Goodman_(Pilgrim)">John_Goodman
_
John_Stephen_Goodman_(born_June_20,_1952)_is_an_American_actor._He_gained_national_fame_for_his_role_as_the_family_patriarch_Dan_Conner_in_the_ABC_comedy_series_''_Roseanne''_(1988–1997;_2018),_for_which_he_received_a_Golden_Globe_Award,_an_...
_and_others_had_entered_the_forest_some_distance_from_the_Pilgrim_plantation_in_order_to_find_material_for_roofing_thatch._Sometime_around_noon,_Browne_and_Goodman_wandered_further_into_the_forest_while_the_other_men_stayed_behind_to_make_up_the_thatch_into_bundles.__After_these_men_had_done_that_work,_they_tried_to_locate_Browne_and_Goodman_in_the_forest,_but_they_could_not_be_found._These_men_went_to_the_settlement_and_informed_others_that_the_men_could_not_be_located._This_caused_about_10-12_armed_men_to_search_for_them,_in_fear_they_were_captured_by_Indians._As_it_happened,_Browne_and_Goodman_were_eating_lunch_when_their_dogs_starting_chasing_a_deer_and_they_were_soon_lost._According_to_records,_"they_wandered_all_that_afternoon_being_wet,_and_at_night_it_did_freeze_and_snow,_they_were_slenderly_appareled_and_had_no_weapons_but_each_one_sickle."_At_night_they_thought_they_heard_"lions"_in_the_forest_and_climbed_a_tree_for_shelter._They_stayed_by_the_tree_that_night_in_case_they_had_to_escape_to_safety._The_next_day_they_finally_climbed_the_highest_hill_they_could_find,_were_able_to_see_their_harbor_and_find_their_way_back_to_the_settlement._After_the_searchers_had_given_up_hope_of_finding_them,_Browne_and_Goodman_finally_arrived_in_Plymouth_quite_cold,_frostbitten,_tired_and_hungry,_having_survived_their_first_experience_alone_in_the_New_England_forest.
Caleb_H._Johnson,_''The_Mayflower_and_Her_Passengers''_(Indiana:_Xlibris_Corp.,_2006),_p._103
In_the_Plymouth_settlement_of_1620,_the_house_of_Peter_Browne_was_near_that_of_John_Goodman_and_was_close_to_the_harbor_on_the_south_side_of_the_village_street.__John_Goodman_is_listed_as_having_been_alive_at_least_on_19_January_1621_and_is_noted_as_having_not_survived_that_first_winter,_but_his_name_does_appear_in_records_of_the_1623_Division_of_Land_and_he_may_have_died_sometime_after_that.
In_the_1623_Division_of_Land,_as_a_single_man,_Peter_Browne_received_one_"aker"_of_land_"these_lye_on_the_South_side_of_the_brooke_to_the_baywards."_In_that_record,_his_name_appears_as_"Peter_Browen."
Sometime_after_the_Division_of_Land,_Peter_Browne_married_the_widow_Martha_Ford,_arriving_in_November_1621_on_the_ship_'' *.html"_;"title="Mayflower_Compact_signatories.html"_;"title="1/21_November_N.S._Mayflower_Compact_signatories">*">Mayflower_Compact_signatories.html"_;"title="1/21_November_N.S._Mayflower_Compact_signatories">*_Realizing_they_were_not_at_the_intended_destination_they_determined_to_bind_themselves_as_a_democratically_governed_and_administered_colony_loyal_to_England.__This_document_became_known_as_the_Mayflower_Compact_and_was_signed_by_all_eligible_men_on_behalf_of_themselves,_their_families,_their_fortunes_and_property.
Peter_Browne_was_one_of_the_men_who_signed_the_Mayflower_Compact."
__In_Plymouth_Colony_
On_12_January_1621,_while_the_Pilgrims_were_building_their_settlement_of_Plymouth,_Peter_Browne,_John_Goodman_(Pilgrim)">John_Goodman_
John_Stephen_Goodman_(born_June_20,_1952)_is_an_American_actor._He_gained_national_fame_for_his_role_as_the_family_patriarch_Dan_Conner_in_the_ABC_comedy_series_''_Roseanne''_(1988–1997;_2018),_for_which_he_received_a_Golden_Globe_Award,_an_...
_and_others_had_entered_the_forest_some_distance_from_the_Pilgrim_plantation_in_order_to_find_material_for_roofing_thatch._Sometime_around_noon,_Browne_and_Goodman_wandered_further_into_the_forest_while_the_other_men_stayed_behind_to_make_up_the_thatch_into_bundles.__After_these_men_had_done_that_work,_they_tried_to_locate_Browne_and_Goodman_in_the_forest,_but_they_could_not_be_found._These_men_went_to_the_settlement_and_informed_others_that_the_men_could_not_be_located._This_caused_about_10-12_armed_men_to_search_for_them,_in_fear_they_were_captured_by_Indians._As_it_happened,_Browne_and_Goodman_were_eating_lunch_when_their_dogs_starting_chasing_a_deer_and_they_were_soon_lost._According_to_records,_"they_wandered_all_that_afternoon_being_wet,_and_at_night_it_did_freeze_and_snow,_they_were_slenderly_appareled_and_had_no_weapons_but_each_one_sickle."_At_night_they_thought_they_heard_"lions"_in_the_forest_and_climbed_a_tree_for_shelter._They_stayed_by_the_tree_that_night_in_case_they_had_to_escape_to_safety._The_next_day_they_finally_climbed_the_highest_hill_they_could_find,_were_able_to_see_their_harbor_and_find_their_way_back_to_the_settlement._After_the_searchers_had_given_up_hope_of_finding_them,_Browne_and_Goodman_finally_arrived_in_Plymouth_quite_cold,_frostbitten,_tired_and_hungry,_having_survived_their_first_experience_alone_in_the_New_England_forest.