Edward Tilley was born in Henlow and baptised in the parish church of St Mary the Virgin on May 27th 1588. At the age of 26, in 1614, he married Ann Cooper, a spinster of the same parish. They subsequently moved to Leiden in Holland where he worked as a weaver and first became involved in the Separatist Movement. Although there are no records of children of their marriage, by the time they boarded the Mayflower in 1620, they were accompanied by 1 year old Humility Cooper (niece) and 16 year old Henry Sampson (nephew). Edwards’s brother, John Tilley, his wife Joan, and daughter Elizabeth aged 13, also from Henlow, joined them in the confined space allotted to passengers on board the ship to make the transatlantic voyage which eventually lasted for 66 days.
They were known as Dissenters and were part of the Puritan movement called The Pilgrim Fathers. He and his extended family were seeking a new life, free from persecution, leaving behind the ungodly place they felt England had become. Their original destination was the mouth of the Hudson River and the area around Jamestown settlement in Virginia which had been established in 1607. During heavy storms, the Mayflower was damaged and subsequently blown off course. The leaking vessel caused extreme discomfort for many of the 102 passengers and approximately 25-30 crew. Christopher Jones, the captain, eventually brought the The Mayflower to the safely of Cape Cod, dropping anchor in Province Town Harbour.
Records show that Edward was considered an important member of the exploration party that left the Mayflower to search for a suitable location for their new settlement. His signature is on what is known as The Mayflower Compact; this is believed to be the first democratic document composed by The Pilgrim Fathers and formed the basis for the written constitution.
Unfortunately by arriving later than planned, due to the storms, they were confronted by the harsh conditions of a New England winter. They had brought limited food supplies and basic possessions which included clothing, bedding, cooking utensils, tools and weapons. The local Indian population had recently been almost destroyed by plague and were hostile to the settlers. The women and children and the sick remained on The Mayflower while the expeditionary party attempted to gain a foothold on land and establish their settlement. Their only way of providing food for themselves was to use the corn that had been previously cultivated and hidden in stores by the Native Indians. The hardships they suffered, when already weakened, took its toll. This resulted in The Pilgrims becoming seriously ill and subsequently dying during their first winter in their new country.
Sadly, both Edward and John Tilley and their wives, Ann and Joan, were among the 52 original passengers, men, women and children who had died by the spring of 1621. The surviving pilgrims, including Elizabeth Tilley and Henry Sampson, eventually went ashore in April 1621 and eventually prospered in their new country. Humility Cooper returned to England on the Mayflower.
New Plymouth has evolved from being one of the earliest European settlements in New England, into the largest town in Massachusetts. It enjoys a thriving tourist trade, focusing on its important role in America’s history.
Edward Tilley was destined by his untimely death not to achieve his ambition of a better life in New England but his legacy lives on. His nephew, Henry, married Anne Plummer in 1635 and had nine children. Through his niece, Elizabeth, his descendants are said to include Franklin D Roosevelt, George W Bush and Humphrey Bogart.