Robert Cushman (1577-1625) was an important leader and Mayflower vessel operator in 1620, serving as the Main Agent in London for the Leiden separatist contingent from 1617 to 1620 and then to the Plymouth Colony until his death in 1625 in England.
Cushman is most likely one of the first Mayflower passengers when sailing from London to Southampton to meet the Speedwell coming from Leiden. The Speedwell then forced to leave.
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Early life in England
Cushman was born in 1577 in Rolvenden, co. Kent and is believed to be the second son of Thomas Couchman (Cushman) and Ellen Hubbarde.
The first known account of Robert Cushman appeared in December 1597 in St. John's parish. George the Martyr, Canterbury, co. Kent. City accounts gave information about an eighteen-year-old Cushman apprentice to the George Masters store, being the second son who did not inherit the land and moved into town to become an apprentice. George Masters had a monopoly on making fat candles that had been given to him by the City of Canterbury, with the city butcher forced to sell animal fat to him for the production of candles. Parish St. George became the place of laying the stench between the cattle market on one side and the butcher's butcher's house on the other. Apprentice Robert Cushman lives in George Master's home in St. John's parish. George the Martyr who made candle-powered at least until 1599 and possibly until the end of 1602 or 1603.
In 1601 Cushman's mother, Ellen, wife of Thomas Tilden, as her second husband was buried in the village of Ashford which is about fourteen miles southeast of Canterbury. Thomas Tilden, perhaps a Puritan, whose descendants later emigrated to the Scituate in the Plymouth Colony.
Many of Robert Cushman's religious beliefs may have come from other Canterbury purists and his presence at illegal religious gatherings known as 'monasteries'. The best view into his religious principles and possibly some Mayflower The other pilgrims can be found in his booklet 'The Cry of a Stone'. He wrote that the Church of England "desires and is defective", "superstitious keeper" and he does not want to worship "human devices." He wrote that he decided to seek the opposite of "the closest fellowship that the Saints in this world can have, [who] most closely resemble heaven." Cushman also wrote that "God's people are few, and rare one out of a hundred.." might consider himself one of the few elected.
Cushman's first issue with the authorities came in 1603 when he was an apprentice to the George Masters. This involves the illegal distribution of defamation (insulting religious writing) in Canterbury by Cushman "from St. Andrew's parish of Canterbury." The libel is a handwritten notification stating "Forgive us, forgive us" installed at church doors throughout Canterbury. The authorities ordered that "disobedient people who molest" defamation posts were found, interrogated and thrown into jail if they refused the examination. Robert Cushman was arrested by the authorities and did not give a satisfactory answer when questioned, for "certain reasons" were brought to Westgate prison for one night. Friends from Cushman from St. George was previously also involved in posting libels.
In 1604 Cushman was sued by the High Court of the Commission for the distribution of defamation and by the court archdeaconry for not being present at St. Andrew's parish church. His first excommunication took place on 16 January 1604 for not recognizing his offense for complaining that he could not be confirmed in his parish church. As per his request, he was released on 15 October 1604. The second excommunication was on November 12, 1604 likely due to a violation of the spread of slander. As per his request, on July 7, 1605, absolution was given and his sentence was revoked.
In 1605 Cushman completed his internship program and became a freelance "tailor" for the payment of four shilling and one pence. His family names are widely noted as "Couchman" and "Cowchman," which are two of the surnames that were applied to him in that time note.
Connections near Cushman are found in parish records in Canterbury and also for internships and weddings. These people may regard themselves as "pious" and are often called "Puritans." Due to the fact that their monastery is illegal and secret it is very difficult to research this association other than to argue that this familial and marital relationship seems correct to form an unconformist Canterbury society. In the Pre-Leiden Pilgrim family of Nottingham and Lincolnshire, similar marriage and kinship relationships found.
In 1606 Cushman was involved in an additional religious disorder when St. John's rector. George's, Thomas Wilson, accused the congregation of St. George's Martyr, Gilbert Gore, of "false and false evil" contrary to the Church of England and "disgusting." with the word of God. "Gore spread the notion of predestination that seemed to contradict the doctrine of the Church of England, Thomas Reader, possibly Cushman's brother-in-law, testified that" Cushman of Canterbury is also Gore's opinion. "And other St. George parishes state that Cushman has been" marred "by Gore There are many other deposi- tions, most of St. George's parishes, showing the parish has some disagreeing and some Separatists.Some of these deponents are associated with Cushman in previous religious controversies.
A number of Canterbury Pilgrims are known to have moved to Sandwich in Kent where they lived before sailing for Leiden, the Netherlands, with the James Chilton family, for example, moving from Canterbury around 1600.
In February 1607/1608 found the last Canterbury record for the Cushman family at the baptism of Robert Thomas's son at St. Andrews. The next record of the Cushman family appeared in Leiden in 1611 when Cushman bought a house in Nonensteeg which was next to the university.
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Cushman Family in Leiden
Robert Cushman and his family emigrated to Leiden, the Netherlands, sometime before November 4, 1611, where he was a woolcomber. In 1616, a year before his appointment as Leiden Church agent (Leyden), Robert Cushman suffered three family losses. His wife Sarah died early in the year - a date that is definitely not known. One of their children died in March and another in October.
Preparing for a trip to the New World
Beginning in September 1617, Cushman spends much of his time in England preparing for a voyage to a new colony. He, along with John Carver, becomes an agent of the Leiden (Leyden) Holland congregation to do business in England. With Elder William Brewster hiding, is being sought by people from James VI and I for the distribution of the Brewster's religious treaty criticizing the king and his bishop, the separatists look to John Carver and Robert Cushman to negotiate with officials in London about the voyage. to America. In June 1619 Carver and Cushman had acquired a patent from the Virginia Company for Separatists. Cushman and Carver, as purchasing agents for the Leiden congregation, began securing supplies and provisions in London and Canterbury.
His famous history booklet titled 'Cry of a Stone' was written around 1619 and finally published in 1642, years after his death in 1625. This work is an important pre-sailing Pilgrim story of the Leiden religious life.
More and more children
When Separatists gathered in London, they joined more children, placed under the care of Weston, Cushman, and Carver. John Carver and Robert Cushman jointly agreed to find them as guards among passengers. The children were sent to Mayflower by Samuel More, the husband of their mother Katherine, after the admission of her adultery. Children must be servants required by several passengers: Elinor, age eight, Edward and Elizabeth Winslow; Jasper, seven, to Carvers; and the two were Richard, five, and Mary, four, to William and Mary Brewster. All but Richard's children died in the first winter of 1620.
Trying to leave the UK at Speedwell
When it was time to leave Southampton, in August 1620, Cushman made sure he joined his friends aboard the Speedwell vessel, but the ship was not worth sailing. Cushman states: "(S) he's open and leaking as a sieve". As soon as Mayflower and Speedwell cleaned the shore, they prepared for repairs at Dartmouth, a port 75 miles west of Southampton. The fixes finished on August 17, but they were forced to stay at Dartmouth due to lack of wind. By then half their food had been eaten. In his writings, Cushman is very concerned about this. Many passengers want to leave the voyage, though, for many, it means losing everything they have. Cushman declared that the Mayflower captain refused to release them. "(H) e will not hear them, or suffer them to go ashore," Cushman said, "do not let them run." Months of tension had overtaken Cushman and he began to suffer the burning pain in his chest - "a bunch of lead like that, breaking my heart." He feels he will die. Both ships left Dartmouth and sailed over 300 miles, but then they again had to return, this time to Plymouth in Devon, due to problems at Speedwell . The Speedwell must be abandoned because he will not survive the voyage. The sacrifice for the safer part is the reduction of 120 passengers to about 100, which should then be squeezed on a single ship. Among those from Speedwell who did not board the Mayflower was the Cushman family, who said he expects every moment to become a "meate for ye fishes" . After the decision to leave Speedwell, Cushman and his family had priority to sail on the Mayflower but they refused - perhaps because of Robert's illness.
Arrive in Plymouth in 1621
Robert Cushman and his son Thomas traveled to the Plymouth Colony on the ship Fortune in 1621. Cushman patented him to the New Plymouth colony on behalf of Mr. John Pierce of London, one of the Merchant's Adventists.
Robert Cushman stayed but a few weeks. Its mission is to convince settlers to accept the terms of their contract imposed by Thomas Weston and the London investors. This contract has provoked the hatred and anger of the Leiden contingent and they angrily rejected it on 5 August 1620, the date of departure from Portsmouth. But Cushman was found in Plymouth that the settlers were finally aware of their situation and their need for help from London. Cushman completed his mission, but left Plymouth on December 13, 1621, after spending four months at sea, and leaving his son Thomas in the care of Bradford Governor. Bradford later reported on Cushman's visit to Plymouth that he "stayed no more than fourteen days" and that the Fortune ship was quickly dispatched with a cargo that was estimated to be close to £ 500. "
On the way back to England, Fortune was attacked by a French pirate and robbed of his precious load, along with crew and passenger ownership.
Cushman returns to London 1622
Cushman arrived back in London, February 17, 1622. He brought precious documents known as the Bradford-Winslow "Relation" - (or historically known as 'Mourt's Relation') detailed journal accounts, ie, day-to-day written notes of territorial exploration Cape Cod and the bay and harbor of Plymouth. The "Relation" is the single most important historical document of its kind in early American history.
When Robert Cushman arrived in London at the end of February 1622, he rushed to print and disseminate 'Mourt Relations' as quickly and as broadly as possible, which was clearly meant as propaganda for the colonies.
Cushman's mission to help the New Plymouth colony was much more advanced with his comeback and arrival in London, 17 February 1622, with the approval of signing the terms of the Adventurer with him. It has been certified by a leadership signature now headed by Governor Bradford, John Carver's successor. This document has renewed the relationship between the invaders and the London investors and investors are also freed from unfair ignorance and error.
Cushman served as a New Plymouth Colony agent and represented a colony with the Merchant Adventurers of London until he died May 1625. Cushman did not die in London in 1625. There is no primary source as evidence of this claim. Robert visited Benenden, Kent, the next village for Rolvenden, where his brother, Richard, lived until Richard died in March 1623/24. Richard Couchman left the testament in 1624 (PRC/17/65/443, Benenden). Will leaves the testament to the children "brother in lawe Stephen Everenden" (also Evernden). He married Richard and Roberts's sister, Sylvester Coucheman, at Rolvenden on November 7, 1593.
Robert Cushman intends to sail to Plymouth Colony and visit his relatives before he leaves. William Bradford, in his book Of Plymouth Plantation, writes that "Cushman's own goal is to come and spend his [last] days with them." The St. Georges, transcript of Beneden archdeacon, the main source, the record is May 6, 1625 "The 6 day Roberte Couchman a foreigner." It is common to identify a person as a "foreigner" if they are from another parish. Robert lives in St. Botolph without Aldgate parish in north-east London.
William Bradford, Governor of Plymouth for many years, writes after receiving notice of the death of Robert Cushman in England, that he "is as their right hand with their friends (Merchant) Adventurers (London investment group), and for divers (sic) years have done and disrupted all their business with them, for their great profits. "
Family
Robert Cushman's first marriage, at St. John's parish. Alphege, Canterbury, July 11, 1606, is Sara Reder, who lives in the area of ​​the cathedral and whose descendants have not been found. Sara Cushman died in Leiden, The Netherlands, and was buried on October 11, 1616. Two of her three children died that same year.
Children Robert Cushman and his wife Sara:
1. Thomas Cushman (ca.1607/08-1691) was baptized at St. Andrew's Church, Canterbury. He died in Plymouth, Massachusetts, December 11, 1691. He married Mary Allerton, Isaac Allerton's daughter circa 1636 in Plymouth. They have eight children. Mary died in Plymouth 28 November 1699, the last passenger of the Mayflower.
Thomas Cushman at the age of fourteen, was left in New Plymouth in the job of the governor, William Bradford, after his father Robert returned to England. Thomas Cushman became Elder of Plymouth Church Leaders in 1649, and remained in the office forty-two years until his death in 1691.
2. (son) Buried in Pieterkerk, Leiden, Netherlands March 11, 1616.
3. (son) Buried in Pieterkerk, Leiden, Netherlands October 24, 1616.
In 1617 Robert Cushman married the second, Mary Clarke Shingleton in Leiden, widow of Thomas Shingleton, who had died there. Kusman is forty and Mary is twenty-seven years old. Before 1610, before sailing to Leiden, Shingelton also moved from Canterbury where they lived, to St. John's Parish. Peter, Sandwich, Kent. They later joined the Pilgrim Church in Leiden.
Cushman Monument at Burial Hill in Plymouth
Although Robert Cushman was buried in England, on August 15, 1855 a meeting of members of the Cushman family who met at Burial Hill in Plymouth Massachusetts decided to set up a monument for him and his descendants. The family formed the Cushman Monument Association with whoever contributed to the Association received a certificate stating the amount donated and the image of the Monument. During the erection of a twenty-five-foot monument, the remains of Robert Cushman's son, Elder Thomas Cushman, his wife Mary (Allerton) and other family members were found. These remnants will later be buried in a space built under a monument, whose completion is celebrated on September 16, 1858.
See also
- The Mayflower Society
References
External links
- Robert Cushman's works in Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Robert Cushman in the Internet Archive
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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