The Minor Family of Somerset

In 1589, William Brewster returned to Scrooby and took over th
e running of the manor and the postmaster's job. Here he marrie
d his wife Mary in 1591/2.He attended the Babworth Church to w
orship with Richard Clyfton, and there in1602 he met the youn
g William Bradford who came to Babworth from his onw village o
f Austerfield - after personal visit by Gratia Dunham Mahony
William Brewster was the Reverend Elder of the Pilgrim's churc
h at Plymouth, since their pastor John Robinson remained behin
d in Leyden, Holland with the majorityof the congregation whic
h planned to come to America at a later time. Brewster was a fu
gitive from the King of england, because he had published a numb
er of religious pamphlets while in Leyden which were critical o
r opposed thetenets of the Church of England. He had been a me
mber of the Separatis Church movement from its very beginning, a
nd was the oldest Mayflower passenger tohave participated at th
e First Thanksgiving in his early fifties.
William Bradford wrote a lot about william Brewster in Of Plymou
th Plantanion some ofwhich follows:
"After he had attained some learning viz. the knowledge of Lati
n tongue, and some insight in the Greek, and spent some small ti
me at Cambridge, and then being first seasoned with the seeds o
f grace and virtue, he went to the court, and served that religi
ous and godly gentleman, Mr Davison,divers years, when he was S
ecretary of State; who found him so discreet and faithful as h
e trusted him above all other that were abouthim, and only emplo
yed him in all matters of greatest trust and secrecy...he attend
ed his mr. when he was sent in ambassage by the Queen into the L
ow Countries...And, at his return, the States honored him wit
h a gold chain, and his master committedit to him, and commande
d him to wear it when they arrived in England, as theyrid throu
gh the country, till they came to the court....Afterwards he wen
tand lived in the coutry, in good esteem amongst his friends an
d the gentlemen of those parts, especially the Godly and religio
us. He did much good in the country where he lived, in promotin
g and furthering religion not only by his practise and example
, and provocating and encouraging of others, by by procuring o
f good preachers to the places thereabouts, and drawing on of ot
hersto assist and help forward in such work, he himself most co
mmonly deepest inthe charge, and sometimes above his ability...
.They ordinarily met at this house on the Lord's Day, (which wa
s a manor of the bishops) and with great love he entertained the
m when they came, making provision for them to his greatcharge
. He was the chif of those that were taken at Boston, and suffe
red the greatest loss; and of the seven that were kept longest i
n prison, and after bound over....After he came into Holland h
e suffered much hardship, after he had spent the most of his mea
ns, having a great charge, and many children;and, in regard o
f his former breeding and course of life, not so fit for manyem
ployments as others were, especially as were toilsome and labori
ous. But yet he ever bore his condition with much cheerfulnes
s and contention. Toward the later part of those 12 years spen
t in Holland, his outward condition was mended, and he lived wel
l and plentifully, for he fell into a way to teachmany students
, who had a desire to learn the English tongue, to teach them En
glish. He also had meanst to set up printing by the help of so
me friends...and by reason of many books whicdh would bot be all
owed to be printed in England, they might have had more than the
y could do...And besides that, he would labor with his hands i
n the fields as long as he was able; yet when the Church had no
t other minister, he taught twice every Sabbath...For his person
al abilities, he was qualified above many, he was wise and discr
eet and wellspoken, having a grave peaceable dispostion, und