The Pilgrim Press
The Pilgrims lived in the city of Leiden between 1609 and 1620. They worked in crafts and trades to support their families.
The Separatist congregation included literate and well-read individuals who participated in the 17th-century world of print as consumers, authors, and publishers during their years in Leiden. John Robinson was the author of several significant religious works including The Justification of Separation from the Church of England (1610) and Observations Divine and Morall for the Furthering of knowledge, and vertue (1625). Edward Winslow had received training as a printer in London before abandoning his apprenticeship and moving to Leiden.
Towards the end of the Pilgrims’ stay in Leiden, William Brewster prepared books for publication with the aid of Edward Winslow, an experienced printer, and John Reynolds. Brewster’s activities were supported by Thomas Brewer, a fellow English religious exile and neighbor of John Robinson’s in Leiden.
Between 1617 and 1619, this press printed and distributed controversial religious books. Edward Winslow is likely to have assisted Brewster and others in the printing of these nonconformist tracts. Such books were banned by English law and had to be smuggled into the country. Several of these Leiden publications feature a “Brewster bear” motif and are known as Brewster imprints or products of the “Pilgrim Press.”
Brewster printed two books by David Calderwood that were directly critical of King James I of England. The English ambassador to Holland instigated a search for William Brewster and his press. Brewster went into hiding. His house in Leiden was searched and his printing type seized. The next year, the Pilgrims journeyed to Plymouth on the Mayflower.
The Pilgrims did not bring any printing equipment on the Mayflower and never set up a press in Plymouth. In fact, there were no presses in Plymouth until the late 18th century. However, they did bring books and many of the early colonists amassed substantial personal libraries that included some of the Brewster imprints published in Leiden.
The Library of the Pilgrim Society contains a number of “Pilgrim Press” books. A selection of these rare books are on permanent display in Pilgrim Hall Museum.