SMDE historian Julie Wilson took a quick visit to Leiden to see some of the Mayflower sites (photos at the end) - 7 Sep 2024

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Yesterday I was in Leiden on a personal visit. It was a glorious day and at the end of the afternoon on a whim I took a lightning tour of the main Mayflower attractions, two hours on foot. I had no appointments at any of these sites. My impression of the current situation at the main sites follows, in the order of my stops:

1. Erfgoed Leiden en Omstreken, the city archives, 30 minutes

2. Pieterskerk, 15 minutes, took (too many?) photos

3. Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, 40 minutes

This was my first visit to the archives. My last visit to the church and museum was pre-pandemic.

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Erfgoed Leiden en Omstreken

Translation: "Heritage Leiden and Vicinity", aka the archives of the city of Leiden

 

At the entrance today one finds an information desk and the study hall (studiezaal) where visitors can search the online catalogue and determine what they would like to examine from the depot (probably located in the basement) and then request access to materials. 

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A section of the study hall area once housed an exhibit “Ancestors Booth,” constructed for the Mayflower 400 anniversary celebration in 2020 that told the story of the Leiden Pilgrims and their descendants in America. The city put much effort into the 400 project, expecting to accommodate many American visitors who did not materialise because of the pandemic. Parallel story to Plymouth, MA and probably other Mayflower sites in the UK.​​

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The current facilities of Erfgoed Leiden were built in 1969 and are not up to today’s standards. The Ancestor’s Booth is now mostly disassembled (see previous page) because the entrance area and other areas of the building will close this November for a two-year renovation. The study hall will have temporary accommodation elsewhere so that researchers can still do their work. 

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I was told that the lead archivist, Cor de Graaf, may be able to figure out a way to accommodate us during the remodeling, but he was unfortunately not available during my visit. Cor is an acquaintance of George English and many others. 

 

Today there is almost nothing to look at in this outdated building, unless one has made previous arrangements with the staff. When looking at the artists’ impressions, it would be a better experience for our members to take them to a newly renovated modern facility, that has many interesting objects on display, in addition to pre-arranging a special look at Mayflower information and artifacts.
 

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Pieterskerk

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The Pieterskerk or St. Peter’s Church, is a large late-gothic Dutch Protestant church dating from the 1100’s. It is here where our ancestors worshipped, and it is still standing tall and proud. Since 1976, it no longer functions as a church, but is a national monument, museum, and venue for events. As such there is an admission charge of € 6.00.

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Inside I found some changes from my last visit, which were undoubtedly made in preparation for the 400th anniversary celebration. These are explained via the photo captions (below)

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The Mayflower chapel lies in the southwest corner, very sunny, and has new brightly lit historical displays on either side of the famous plaque in memory of John Robinson and the Pilgrims.

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At the western entrance from the inside, you will find the Hagersbeer organ and old door underneath. Perhaps our ancestors entered through this door on their way to worship.

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The text of the Mayflower Compact is on display, and on the reverse side a new 2020 covenant… “between the communities of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the United States of America to work in partnership towards a joint 400th commemoration  of the sailing of the Mayflower in 1620.”   Dated 21 Nov 2014, Plymouth, England.

   

Looking toward the choir or quire, note the wooden ceiling. The choir and apse have been made into a casual sitting area.

   

In the ambulatory, a historical timeline of the history of Leiden, including panels dedicated to the Pilgrims
and a US presidential visit in 1989, with George H.W. Bush pictured with then Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.  A display of statistics about Pieterskerk was on show.

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Pilgrim Museum

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I met for 40 minutes with Sarah Moine, the current curator of the museum that was imagined and realized by prolific Mayflower researcher, author, and former museum director, Jeremy Bangs, who unfortunately passed away a year ago.  This museum is a Dutch non-profit, running the tiny, two-room display area in Leiden’s oldest building dating from medieval times, and conducting research into the Pilgrim’s time in Leiden, via Jeremy’s academic connections and access to the Leiden archives.  Sarah was thrilled to be contacted by us and cleared her schedule (i.e. closed the museum a bit early) to meet with me.