Blog – Our Heritage, Your Heritage

Pilgrim Embroidery installed by Doncaster Civic Mayor at St Helena’s Church, Austerfield

Posted on by Bassetlaw Christian Heritage

Cllr Allan Jones, Civic Mayor of Doncaster, accompanied by Civic Mayoress, Mrs Liz Jones, installed one of five Pilgrim Embroideries at St Helena’s Church in Austerfield on Sunday, 22nd August 2021.

Civic Mayor, Cllr Allan Jones with Civic Mayoress, Mrs Liz Jones

Five large embroideries have been made for the Mayflower 400 commemorations by a small group of North Nottinghamshire embroiderers, known as The Pilgrim Embroiderers.

The works are being donated to the churches at Austerfield, Babworth, East Retford, Scrooby and Sturton le Steeple, that can be found along the Pilgrims Trail.

Civic Mayor, Cllr Allan Jones with Jenny King

Designed by Jenny King, they represent the church leaders and typical 17th century congregations, many of whom sailed on the Mayflower.

The embroideries were worked on large frames using specially woven woollen cloth and threads.

The figures on the St. Helena’s embroidery were mainly worked by Fay Evason, the church and background by Jenny King.

Civic Mayor, Cllr Allan Jones with Fay Evason

The embroidery focuses on the story of Austerfield born William Bradford, one of the Mayflower Pilgrims’ leaders.

A book, ‘The Pilgrim Embroideries Made in Retford, Nottinghamshire’, has been published explaining the processes undertaken and the embroidery stitches used, and especially highlights the development of community involvement during the two years of construction from inception to completion. Copies are available from Bassetlaw Museum, and Retford Arts Hub.

Cllr Allan Jones, Civic Mayor of Doncaster said: “I was delighted to install this prestigious Pilgrim Embroidery and to congratulate the Pilgrim Embroiderers on their skill and commitment to producing such an exciting piece of work.”

Rev Becky Hancock, Vicar of The River Idle Benefice which includes Austerfield, said: “We are delighted to receive the embroidery to display in St Helena’s Church. The connections that Austerfield has with history are remarkable, reaching back to the Synod of Austerfield in 702, which debated the fate of St Wilfrid and decided the date of Easter. More recently, local man William Bradford, who was baptised in St Helena’s, became a leader of the Mayflower Pilgrims, signed the Mayflower Compact, was Governor of Plimoth Colony for many years, and recorded the definitive story of the Mayflower Pilgrims from 1606-1646, in his book History of Plimoth Plantation.”

Churchwarden Mrs Kay Beckett with the St Helena’s Embroidery

Jenny King, lead Pilgrim Embroiderer said: “It is a pleasure to donate the embroidery to St. Helena’s Church in Austerfield, and hope it brings interest to many people in the future.”

Isabelle Richards, Heritage Engagement Officer, Pilgrim Roots Project, Bassetlaw Museum said: “It’s fantastic to see the St Helena’s Pilgrim Embroidery installed in the church. This will be a great addition to the attractions of St Helena’s for Pilgrims Trail visitors and a positive sign of the 400th anniversary commemorations for years to come.”

Mayflower Quilt, part of the Quilt Festival at St Helena’s Church

Pilgrim Embroidery installed by East Retford Mayor at St Swithun’s Church, Retford

Posted on by Bassetlaw Christian Heritage

Cllr Carolyn Troop, Town Mayor of East Retford, at her first official event, installed the first of the five Pilgrim Embroideries at St Swithun’s Church in Retford on 1st July 2021.

East Retford Town Mayor, Cllr Carolyn Troop with Jenny King

Five large embroideries have been made to commemorate the Mayflower 400 commemorations by a small group of North Nottinghamshire embroiderers, known as The Pilgrim Embroiderers.

The works are being donated to the churches at Austerfield, Babworth, East Retford, Scrooby and Sturton le Steeple, that can be found along the Pilgrims Trail.

Designed by Jenny King, they represent the church leaders and typical 17th century congregations, many of whom sailed on the Mayflower.

The embroideries were worked on large frames using specially woven woollen cloth and threads. The figures on the St. Swithun’s embroidery were mainly worked by Beverley Naylor, the church and background by Jenny King.

A book, ‘The Pilgrim Embroideries Made in Retford, Nottinghamshire’, has been published explaining the processes undertaken and the embroidery stitches used, and especially highlights the development of community involvement during the two years of construction from inception to completion. Copies are available from Bassetlaw Museum, and Retford Arts Hub.

Cllr Carolyn Troop, Town Mayor of East Retford said: “I was delighted to unveil this prestigious Pilgrim Embroidery and to congratulate the Pilgrim Embroiderers on their skill and commitment to producing such an exciting piece of work.”

Rev’d Dick Lewis, Priest at St Swithun’s Church said: “We are delighted to receive the tapestry to display in St Swithun’s Church. Here we recall that many Separatists chose to stay behind whilst the Pilgrims were making their journey to America. People like George Turwyn, who was Vicar of St Swithun’s and later Rector of Babworth, decided to remain in England to try to reform the Church of England from within.”

Jenny King, lead Pilgrim Embroiderer said: “It is a pleasure in donate the embroidery to St. Swithun’s Church, East Retford, and hope it brings interest to many people in the future.”

Jenny King with Beverley Naylor

Isabelle Richards, Heritage Engagement Officer, Pilgrim Roots Project, Bassetlaw Museum said: ‘It’s fantastic to see the St Swithun’s Pilgrim Embroidery installed in the church. This will be great addition to the attractions of St Swithun’s to Pilgrims Trail visitors and be a positive sign of the 400th anniversary commemorations for years to come.”

Sherwood Oak planted to commemorate Nottinghamshire’s Pilgrims at Babworth church

Posted on by Bassetlaw Christian Heritage

Recent news from our friends at Sherwood Forest Trust announcing a commemorative tree planting at Babworth church – 17th March 2021:

400 years ago, the Mayflower Pilgrims left England and set out for America.

A number of the most influential and important Pilgrims came from North Nottinghamshire and to mark its seminal place in the Mayflower story, the Sherwood Forest Trust has planted a commemorative oak at Babworth Church  –  where William Brewster and Reverend Richard Clifton delivered their sermons.

Guests at the Mayflower 400 commemorative oak tree planting at Babworth church

Dr Patrick Candler of the Sherwood Forest Trust explains: “We wanted to commemorate the role of Nottinghamshire in the Mayflower story and what better way than to use the most noted of our county’s natural resources. The oak is the  most emblematic English tree, famed for its beauty, strength and longevity.  And the Pilgrim story shows how from ‘little acorns’ as they say, great things can grow. 

The Trust is very grateful for the kind permission of the Church and local landowner, Sir Jack Whitaker, to plant this specimen oak, which was provided by Green Mile Trees of Babworth.

Peter Swinscoe, Babworth Church Warden said:” Babworth Church has an important part to play in the development of the thinking of the Pilgrims who were preached to by the Reverend Richard Clifton in the years before the sailing of the Mayflower in 1620. This superb tree will still be growing in our churchyard one hundred years from now!”

Peter Swinscoe and Patrick Candler planting the commemorative oak tree near All Saints’ Church, Babworth

The ceremony included a selection of Brewster’s sermons read by actor Charles Cromwell and the oak tree was blessed by the Reverend Richard Hanford.

The Trust appreciates the financial support given by Bassetlaw District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council to enable them to organise this project.

Oaks are a special tree in Nottinghamshire. Sherwood Forest and its mighty landmark, the 1200 year old ‘Major Oak’, have fascinated tourists since American writer Washington Irving hymned its glories in the 1830s.

It is well known that Plymouth, in south west England, was the embarkation point for the Mayflower – the merchant ship that in September 1620 set off with its 102 passengers to sail halfway across the known world. 

Less well known is that the story of the Mayflower Pilgrims actually began some 300 miles north in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire and, especially Nottinghamshire. This is why we call this ‘Pilgrim Roots’ country.

A community history project in North Notts today, ‘Pilgrim Roots’ explores the Midlands’ origins of the Mayflower story, and the places and communities affected by it – from the attractive market town of Retford, which today hosts the Pilgrims Gallery museum, to the ‘People of the First Light’ – the native American Wampanoag people encountered by the Pilgrims, some 5000 of whom still reside in New England.

For further details on the Mayflower 400 Legacy Oaks Planting project, please contact Sherwood Forest Trust.

Sir Jack Whittaker planting the commemorative oak tree at Babworth church

Illuminate “One small candle” Thanksgiving success

Posted on by Bassetlaw Christian Heritage

People from across Bassetlaw (North Nottinghamshire), Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire and beyond took part in the ‘One Small Candle’ event on Thanksgiving evening last week (Thursday 26th November). Many of them photographed their lanterns and shared them with the Pilgrim Roots project and on social media using the hashtag #OneSmallCandle. There were even photographs from Edinburgh, North Wales and Plymouth.

#OneSmallCandle beneath the William Bradford window at St Helena’s Church, Austerfield

Although Thanksgiving is an event celebrated mainly in the United States, organisers of this year’s Pilgrims Festival suggested that people in the UK might use it as an opportunity to give thanks for something in their own lives, whatever that might be.

The Pilgrim Roots areas of Bassetlaw, West Lindsey, Boston and Doncaster are central to the story of the Mayflower Pilgrims. This year, which commemorates the 400th anniversary of the arrival in North America of the Mayflower Pilgrims, was meant to include many parades and events as the ‘grand finale’ following six years of events building up to it. This was not to be.

An Illuminate lantern jar by Stephanie Baines

However, not to be deterred, the teams at Bassetlaw District Council’s Pilgrims Gallery in Retford, and at West Lindsey District Council, assisted by Bassetlaw Christian Heritage, took the Illuminate ‘one small candle’ events out to people through a combination of locally distributed publications and online.

Bassetlaw Christian Heritage also worked with Bassetlaw District Council’s Pilgrims Gallery on putting together the Online Babworth Arts Festival. Prevented by COVID-19 from holding the usual annual exhibition at Babworth Church, it went online and features paintings, photographs, videos, audio, music, and poetry. This proved so popular that the event has been extended through to Christmas 2020.

Pilgrims Gallery Heritage Engagement Officer, Isabelle Richards, said: “It has been great to work together to reach out to people in this 400th anniversary year of the Mayflower Pilgrims. The ‘One Small Candle’ project has gone really well, as has the Online Arts Festival, and has enabled us to connect with one another positively while we are not able to join together in the usual way.”

A lantern outside St Swithun’s Church, Retford

The Illuminate “One Small Candle” activity in Bassetlaw, North Nottinghamshire has been organised by Bassetlaw District Council Pilgrims Gallery at Bassetlaw Museum, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and supported by Bassetlaw Christian Heritage.

Pilgrim Roots is a regional partnership including Bassetlaw District Council, West Lindsey District Council, Bassetlaw Christian Heritage and other organisations in the Lincolnshire, Bassetlaw and South Yorkshire area.

Thanksgiving: 26th November 2020 – Illuminate – “One small candle”

Posted on by Bassetlaw Christian Heritage

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Mayflower Pilgrims in North America. For this year’s Pilgrims Festival, we are inviting people to safely display battery-powered lights in their windows on the evening of 26th November (Thanksgiving), photograph them, and share them on social media with the hashtag #OneSmallCandle, or send by email to info@pilgrimroots.org.

Make your own lantern (Image credit: Electric Egg)

The ‘One Small Candle’ initiative has been inspired by a quote from William Bradford, a Mayflower Pilgrim from Austerfield, who was a long-term friend of local Separatists, William Brewster from Scrooby, Richard Clifton from Babworth, and John Robinson from Sturton-le-Steeple. He became the longest serving Governor of Plymouth Colony, and wrote: ‘As one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many.’

Templates for creating lanterns at home have been circulated in the November editions of Retford, Worksop and Gainsborough Life magazines and are available here.

Heritage Engagement Officer for the Pilgrim Roots Heritage Project Isabelle Richards said: ‘I am delighted that we are working together to ensure the momentum of previous Illuminate events is not lost in this 400th anniversary year. The One Small Candle project is a great opportunity for people to share hope and solidarity safely, and personally give thanks for whatever reason, while we are not able to join together in the usual way.’

To Take Part:

Simply shine a light or place a battery operated candle in your window on the evening of 26th November.

Or, if you are feeling creative, craft your own lantern safely using the templates in the Life Magazines or here.

Spread the light further by using #OneSmallCandle to share a photo of your window/lantern with us on social media on Twitter or Facebook!

Babworth Arts Festival opens online!

Posted on by Bassetlaw Christian Heritage

The annual Pilgrim inspired art event at Babworth Church near Retford is brought to you online for 2020.

Babworth Church Warden Peter Swinscoe at the 2017 arts festival

This popular event usually takes place in All Saints’ Church, showcasing pilgrim inspired art by local people. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the exhibition is being hosted on the Pilgrim Roots website, where it can be enjoyed from the safety of your own home.

There’s a fantastic collection of entries related to our local Pilgrims’ stories and their wider context. Entries feature the Pilgrim Churches, the Pilgrims themselves, and include photography, paintings, illustrations, and embroidery.

Scroll through the exhibition and perhaps listen to a talk as well.

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower Pilgrims’ arrival in North America and the exhibition can be viewed until Saturday 28th November 2020. If the number of visits is high enough, it may be extended – so why not visit today?

All work on display in the exhibition was inspired, in some way, by the Separatist and Mayflower Pilgrims stories. There is a range of paintings, music and other art forms many of which have not been displayed before – certainly not in this format.

The Pilgrim Embroideries are included, as is a link to a video of Jenny King, the lead embroiderer, explaining about their work. Thanks to everyone who contributed a stitch over the years and to those who bought cards or who donated to the framing.

There are videos about the role of Babworth church from “Where it all Began”; on the Carlton Prophetess by local historian and author Adrian Gray; a music performance from the Doncaster Waites; and from international musician, Leah Stuttard, singing an early 17th century hymn, followed by a 13th century harp instrumental.

This exhibition has been kindly hosted by Babworth Church for the past four years, and has been an important part of the Pilgrims Festival which has commemorated the Mayflower Pilgrim Families’ journey to North America in 1620. Anyone wishing to support Babworth Church can get in touch via the Pilgrim Roots website ‘Get in Touch’ form at the end of the Art exhibition.

Bassetlaw Christian Heritage (BCH) is delighted to have received support from Bassetlaw District Council which, in turn has been supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and Pilgrim Roots. Extra special thanks to the team at the Pilgrims Gallery at Bassetlaw Museum for their hard work and inspiration and to all of the local artists for their brilliant work.

To find out more about the story, please take a look around our website, or Pilgrim Roots for the Pilgrims Gallery in Bassetlaw Museum, Retford, the Mayflower Pilgrims Visitor Centre at The Hub in Churchgate, Retford, and the Mayflower Room at the United Reformed Church in Gainsborough (Government restrictions allowing – please check before travelling).

New films about the Pilgrim Churches

Posted on by Bassetlaw Christian Heritage

A series of short films have been made by the Pilgrim Roots Heritage Project, exploring stories of where the Mayflower Pilgrims’ story began. Separatism and non-conformity are the backdrop for the Mayflower journey, connecting the people and places of South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. 

Where it all began… Discover the stories from Babworth Church, where Richard Clifton preached religious rebellion at the end of the 16th century.
Where it all began… St Swithun’s Church, Retford is linked to the Separatists, many of whom went on to board the Mayflower in 1620.
Discover where it all began at Worksop Priory, a victim of the English Reformation and home of non-conformists.
St Peter & St Paul’s Church, Sturton-le-Steeple, was the home of John Robinson – Pastor to the Pilgrims! Discover more about the influential people from this quiet Nottinghamshire village.
The United Reformed Church’s John Robinson Memorial Church, Gainsborough, stands as a testament to the town’s links to key non-conformists of the 17th century. Discover stories that connect the town to America and tales of adventure and escape.
Join us in St Wilfrid’s, Scrooby, home church of William Brewster and his family in the 17th century. How did this peaceful village become famous for non-conformity and adventure?

Make your own ‘One Small Candle’ lantern for Illuminate 2020 online

Posted on by Bassetlaw Christian Heritage

Instead of the usual parades for Illuminate this year, we’re doing things a bit differently so you can still take part from home.

This November, Bassetlaw’s annual Illuminate events commemorating local links to the Mayflower Pilgrims’ story will be a bit different, like so many other things that have changed recently. For the past few years, fantastic parades of lanterns have taken place in Retford and Worksop, but that’s sadly not going to be possible this year. Instead, we’re inviting you to get creative at home using our specially designed toolkit full of templates, ideas and inspiration for making your own lantern.

Display your lit lantern in a window at home on the evening of Thursday 26th November (the date of Thanksgiving), and share a photo on social media tagging in #OneSmallCandle to be part of the commemorations and to join others across our region connected by the shared Pilgrims’ heritage.

Bassetlaw Christian Heritage is joining with Pilgrim Roots partners in North Nottinghamshire, Gainsborough and Boston to mark the commemoration on the same evening, by asking people to light up their communities with lanterns displayed in windows to give thanks in our own special way for the things that are important to us – what will you give thanks for?

The 400th anniversary of the Mayflower’s voyage from England to America, which took some of the Pilgrims from our region on a historic journey, was in September. North Nottinghamshire is part of the national Mayflower 400 programme, connecting places across the UK linked to the story, and the regional Pilgrim Roots partnership of places where many Pilgrims came from.

Residents in North Nottinghamshire living in areas where Retford Life, Worksop Life and Gainsborough Life magazines are distributed will receive free templates and instructions for how to make your own lantern at home. You can also download a toolkit and find more inspiration below.

BCH are grateful for the support of Bassetlaw District Council and the National Lottery Heritage Funded ‘Pilgrim Roots Heritage Project’ for this year’s online event.

The annual commemoration is inspired by a quote from Pilgrim leader William Bradford, who wrote:

“as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many”

William Bradford, Of Plimoth Plantation

How to take part:

1. Make your lantern! 

Take a look at some of our inspiring lantern creations, made using things you have at home below. You can download instructions and a toolkit here:

one-small-candle-toolkitDownload

Follow the instructions to decorate a clear jar or container, pop in an LED tealight and put it in a window. Check out all of our templates and instruction leaflets using the link above.

Need some inspiration? Check out our ‘how to’ video below:

2. Send us a photo! 

We’d love to see your creations – post a video or photo of your lantern on social media on 26th November. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.

3. Be part of something bigger!

Include the hashtag #OneSmallCandle with your post – and see what others have made too! How many lanterns will we be able to count on the night – 102 (the number of Mayflower passengers)? 400 (the anniversary)? 1,620 (the voyage date)? Or even… 2,020?!

Pilgrims Festival 2020: Online Babworth Arts Exhibition, 21-28 November

Posted on by Bassetlaw Christian Heritage

Our vision is to successfully deliver an exhibition of arts and craft works and performances inspired by the Separatists/Mayflower Pilgrims stories in Bassetlaw, North Nottinghamshire, as part of the Pilgrims Festival activities in November each year.

In 2016, the first event took place at Babworth Church and there has been an event each year since, with increasing numbers of exhibits from a wider range of artists and larger numbers of visitors.

In 2020, Covid 19 has set us significant challenges. However, technology comes to the rescue – this year we are asking artists to record their work and give some background information to it. The exhibit may be the photograph of the work and/or the work within an environment – artist’s choice!

There is no selection process or fee to enter. Artists may offer their work for sale or not as they wish – if they are selling, they will need their own means of doing so. No commission will be charged for work sold. There are no age limits.

All work should be inspired by the Separatist/Mayflower Pilgrims Stories – this does not mean they have to be pictures of Mayflower ships – they should be inspired by the stories, however they are interpreted. After the time of the exhibition, images and recordings may be retained for ongoing reference and communications.

Any medium may be used with due regard to its suitability in the environments and locations exhibiting the work and the health and safety of the public. The organiser reserves the right to take down any unsuitable materials.

Work should be sent to bchristianheritage@gmail.com by Friday 13th November; with each piece should be the artist’s name and contact details, a title/short description (200 words max.) of how the work relates to the Separatist/Mayflower Pilgrims stories, the medium used, and a price (if offered for sale). All work supplied (photographs, films etc) will become the property of the organiser and will be used entirely at the organiser’s discretion for publicity and communications purposes in line with the theme of the exhibition. The organiser of this virtual event is Bassetlaw Christian Heritage CIC.

Programmes will be created from the information supplied and these will be made available.

In 2020, we are inviting talks and performance recordings with some relevance to the story of the Separatists, however connected, and these may be included in the exhibition.

Pilgrims & Prophets tours & talks online

Posted on by Bassetlaw Christian Heritage

Pilgrims & Prophets Christian Heritage Tours have a new YouTube channel, sharing films and talks based on local Christian heritage in and around North Nottinghamshire.

Subscribe to the channel to see when new films are added, or view their latest films here:

Habblesthorpe – The Lost Village With Baptist History
We explore the lost Nottinghamshire village of Habblesthorpe and its links to the early Baptists. We discover tress, bushes and some graves, plus links to Baptist founders John Smyth and Thomas Helwys from the early 1600s.
Littleborough. Romans, Kings & Saints
Littleborough is a small Nottinghamshire village with a remarkable history stretching back 2000 years. In this tour, local historian Adrian Gray explores the village’s hidden past – from early Roman times to present day. We follow in the footsteps of Kings, Saints and Christians who came to this place on the banks of the River Trent.
The Nottinghamshire Prophetess (1641)
In 1641, two young women died suddenly after a wedding – but one came back from the dead, prophesying terrible things if England did not repent. Then, a few days later, she died again. Historian Adrian Gray investigates this bizarre story from a turbulent era.
The Battling Puritan – Richard Bernard
Richard Bernard was a puritan nonconformist, sometime a separatist, who battled away against the Church authorities in early 1600s England. He knew the Mayflower Pilgrim leaders, the men who began the English Baptist Church, was the father in law of Roger Williams of Rhode Island and probably influenced John Bunyan. Adrian Gray tells his life story.

For up to date news and information from Pilgrims & Prophets, follow them on Facebook.