English Village FAQs
Photo copyright, Todd Attebury
What to Expect, How to Prepare:
1. What will I see in the 17th-Century English Village?
2. Who will I meet in the 17th-Century English Village?
3. Is this the original site of the Village?
4. How long does it take to visit the 17th-Century English Village?
5. Will there be someone to talk to in every house in the Village?
6. Will there be costumed children in the 17th-Century English Village?
7. We read a book about a Pilgrim child. Will we find that child?
8. Will I find a role player portraying my ancestor?
9. Can I do genealogical research in the 17th-Century English Village?
10. Will I be able to see religious services if I come on a Sunday?
11. What happens when the weather is bad?
Frequently Asked Historical Questions:
12. What kind of relationship did the Pilgrims and Native People have?
13. Did the Pilgrims and Wampanoag celebrate The First Thanksgiving?
14. What happened to the Wampanoag who lived in Plymouth?
15. How could the Pilgrims move into the Wampanoag homeland?
16. How many people actually lived in Plymouth Colony in 1627?
17. How do you know who lived in Plymouth Colony in 1627?
18. How does the re-created Village compare with the original town?
19. Did the English colonists call themselves Pilgrims?
20. Why do we call the English colonists Pilgrims?
21. Are there any existing portraits of Mayflower passengers?
22. Why are "Saints" and "Strangers" used to describe the Pilgrims?
23. Did the Pilgrims describe themselves as Saints or Strangers?
24. Did the Pilgrims describe themselves as Puritans or Separatists?
25. What did the Pilgrims call themselves and their church?
26. Why is Plymouth spelled P-l-i-m-o-t-h?
What to Expect, How to Prepare:
1. What will I see in the 17th-Century English Village?
The 17th-Century English Village is a re-creation of some of the homes, gardens, storehouses, animal pens, fields and fortifications that the English colonists had established in Plymouth by 1627. You will find role players throughout these areas. You may also encounter modern Museum Guides on the site.
Surrounding the town is a palisade, a high wooden fence like the one that was built in 1622 to protect the original village. Outside of the palisade are fields where you may encounter costumed staff farming or cutting hay.
2. Who will I meet in the 17th-Century English Village?
Dressed in reproduction period clothing and speaking in the dialect of their character’s home region, Museum staff members – “interpreters” – take on the roles of actual inhabitants of the Colony. Together, these roles depict the social life of a very human community, one that knew enlightenment and superstition, success and failure. As you speak with the inhabitants of Plymouth Colony, you will hear a variety of stories and opinions. This diversity reflects the complexity of the early colonial experience.
3. Is this the original site of the Village?
No. The original site is in present-day Plymouth Center, located 2.5 miles north of the re-created 17th-Century English Village. There are a number of historical markers on Leyden Street that identify the location of the first houses. The houses in the Museum’s 17th-Century English Village are re-creations of what those first houses may have looked like.
4. How long does it take to visit the 17th-Century English Village?
Most visitors spend at least 2 hours in the 17th-Century English Village. On your self-guided visit, you may tour the Village and enter about a dozen re-created buildings. In many of these places you will find role players at work.
5. Will there be someone to talk to in every house in the Village?
Not in every house. Much of the work in a 17th-century farming community took place out of doors, so you will find costumed staff in the fields, gardens and other work areas of the Village as well as in the houses. When you do encounter an empty house, feel free to explore the interior and garden.
6. Will there be costumed children in the 17th-Century English Village?
Occasionally. On weekends and during the summer, children of staff members sometimes portray children who lived in Plymouth.
7. We read a book about a Pilgrim child. Will we find that child?
Probably not. Plimoth Plantation contributed to the creation of several books, including Samuel Eaton's Day and Sarah Morton's Day. While these books are about children who lived in Plymouth Colony, it is unlikely that you will encounter a child in one of those roles during your visit.
There are many other books that are an entertaining mix of fact and fiction about children who never existed. One popular book features a child named Remember Patience Whipple. Remember and her family are fictional characters who did not live in Plymouth Colony or travel aboard Mayflower. Many children come to the 17th-Century English Village searching for the fictional Remember!
8. Will I find a role player portraying my ancestor?
Possibly. Because there are fewer role players than there were English colonists in 1627, not all the colonists are represented in the 17th-Century English Village. Your ancestor may not be portrayed but you will find that other role players can often provide you with the scoop on your great-great-great-great-grandmother or grandfather!
9. Can I do genealogical research in the 17th-Century English Village?
No, although you might be tempted to because the role players seem to have all of the answers. This is both the advantage and the hazard of a role playing presentation. In the 17th-Century English Village, the role players use both documented facts known about their particular character and general information about the time period. It is impossible for you to know which type of information they are using when answering your specific questions.
Guests interested in finding out about Plymouth Colony family history should visit our Plimoth and Patuxet Ancestors section. We also suggest visiting the following websites:
PlymouthAncestors.org | The General Society of Mayflower Descendants | The New England Historical and Genealogical Society | The California Mayflower Society | Cape Cod Genealogy | Cape Cod Genealogical Association
10. Will I be able to see religious services if I come on a Sunday?
In 17th-century Plymouth, everyone was required to spend all day Sunday in religious services. To re-enact these daylong religious services would not allow our visitors to chat with the colonists or to observe their daily activities. If you visit on a Sunday, the role players in the Village will tell you it is Monday, and that you missed a fine sermon the day before!
Several times during the week, the Museum offers a program in the Fort/Meetinghouse called A Smidgen of Religion, a thirty-minute living history introduction to elements of Pilgrim worship. Click here to find out more about scheduled performances. To learn about religion, please visit Faith of the Pilgrims.
11. What happens when the weather is bad?
The Museum sites are open through almost all weather extremes. (We have been known to close early because of a hurricane or two.) Please dress appropriately for the weather, and you should have an enjoyable time.
On rainy days the rhythm of the 17th-Century English Village changes. Much of the outdoor work cannot be done, so the role players can be found inside their houses and sheltered workplaces. Guests tell us that these rainy days have their own cozy charm.
On extremely hot summer days, you will see less activity in the town as everyone, role players and guests alike, heads for the shade. This is not just a concession to modern comfort, however. Under such conditions the English colonists were likely to limit hard work to the cooler early morning and evening hours.
Frequently Asked Historical Questions:
12. What kind of relationship did the Pilgrims and Native People have?
Unfortunately, there is not a simple answer to this question. At times, relations were tense. In the winter of 1620, the English colonists stole Native corn they found buried on Cape Cod and raided several Native graves. On December 8, 1620, a group of Nauset Wampanoag attacked one of the Pilgrims’ exploratory parties. And soon after that initial encounter, the Pilgrims left Cape Cod to make their homes in Plymouth, on land that had been previously occupied by the Wampanoag village of Patuxet.
At other times, relations were less strained and more cooperative. Massasoit, an important sachem (leader) of the Wampanoag village of Pokanoket in present-day Rhode Island, concluded a treaty of mutual protection with the Pilgrims. He, like the English, sought a bulwark against Native enemies in New England. On March 22, 1621, Massasoit, English Governor John Carver and delegations from both sides met in Plymouth. Squanto, a Wampanoag man who had spent time as a captive in England, acted as translator. The resulting treaty had six components. Neither party would harm the other. If anything was stolen, it would be returned and the offending person sent back to his own people for justice. Both sides also agreed to leave their weapons behind when meeting, and Massasoit promised that he would spread word of the treaty to neighboring Native communities. The two groups would serve as allies in time of war.
There were difficulties throughout the 1620s as the two cultures learned more about one another. Massasoit and ninety of his men joined the colonists in Plymouth in the fall of 1621 for a celebration of the harvest. Due to the scant writing about the event, however, we don’t know why the Wampanoag attended. Were they invited? Or did they hear the Pilgrims’ celebratory firing of muskets and come to ensure the safety of their own communities? Almost a year later in 1622, when a group of unruly and undisciplined Englishmen arrived at Wessagusset (now Weymouth) intending to settle, they caused discord between the English and Wampanoag.
Despite periods of misunderstanding and tension, the Wampanoag and the English worked to achieve relative peace throughout the 1620s. They enjoyed military agreements, trade relations, regular communications and even some social interactions, but both sides remained wary of the other. After 1627, as the Pilgrims left the town of Plymouth to make homes elsewhere in the Wampanoag homeland, relations would become less cooperative.
13. Did the Pilgrims and Wampanoag celebrate The First Thanksgiving?
Celebrations after a successful crop gathering are as old as the harvest itself. Thus, in 1621 when their labors were rewarded with a bountiful harvest after a year of sickness and scarcity, the Pilgrims gave thanks to God and celebrated their bounty in the Harvest Home tradition in which they had been nurtured. To these people of strong Christian faith, this was not merely a revel, it was also a joyous outpouring of gratitude. In a letter from “E.W.” (Edward Winslow) to a friend in England we read: “And God be praised, we had a good increase…. Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling so that we might after a special manner rejoice together….” At some point during the celebration, Massasoit, an important sachem (leader) of the Wampanoag People, along with ninety Native men and an unknown number of other Native People, joined the English for three days of entertainment, feasting and diplomacy. This celebration occurred sometime between September 21 and November 9, 1621, and in the 19th century entered American popular imagination as the First Thanksgiving.
14. What happened to the Wampanoag who lived in Plymouth?
The Pilgrims built their town in 1620 on the site of a Wampanoag town called Patuxet. From 1616-1618, many of the Wampanoag people who lived in Patuxet died from a plague that was probably carried by European fishermen and traders. Any survivors of the sickness probably left Patuxet for other villages. This devastating event made it easy for the English to lay claim to this Wampanoag land.
15. How could the Pilgrims move into the Wampanoag homeland?
16. How many people actually lived in Plymouth Colony in 1627?
In 1627, approximately 160 people were permanent residents of the colony, including about 30 families and 20 single men. In addition, an unknown number of shipwrecked English and Irish people were lodging in Plymouth Colony. These shipwrecked people left for Virginia towards the end of the summer.
17. How do you know who lived in Plymouth Colony in 1627?
In May 1627, the livestock was divided among all the colonists who were resident shareholders. The colonists made a list of families and animals, which we believe is a nearly complete list of residents for the year. However, we know that some residents, such as servants, were not included.
Plymouth Court records contain a partial map of colonial house lots from 1620. This, together with information found in later deeds, is the basis for the street layout of the 17th-Century English Village.
18. How does the re-created Village compare with the original town?
Since what remains of the original town sits in and under the current town of Plymouth, no one knows exactly what the young colony looked like in 1627. Plimoth Plantation's 17th-Century English Village is based on available research combined with educated guesswork.
The re-created village is also an ongoing Museum interpretation of what the original town might have looked like. This physical interpretation of the town has undergone many modifications over the years. These changes reflect changes in our understanding of the Pilgrims.
One of the things we do know is that the original town had many more houses than the dozen in our re-creation--possibly three times as many houses. The footprint of the 17th-Century English Village is only about one-third of the size of the 17th-century town. Like the original, Plimoth Plantation's 17th-Century English Village sits on the side of a hill, but our hill is not nearly as steep as the original site. In 1627, the colonists in the original town farmed roughly 150 acres of corn; in the 17th-Century English Village you will see about an acre being worked.
For the safety and comfort of our visitors, we have consolidated 17th-century English colonial life into a smaller space. Because of this, you don't need to travel a mile to the edge of the forest to see a charcoal pit or a sawpit or follow the animals out to pasture to see goats and cows.
19. Did the English colonists call themselves Pilgrims?
The English colonists did not specifically label themselves in the letters, books and documents they wrote. Sometimes they referred to themselves as Planters (colonial farmers) to distinguish themselves from the Adventurers (men and women who financed the colony).
20. Why do we call the English colonists Pilgrims?
The word “pilgrim” was used once in the surviving writings of the early colonists. More than 20 years after the arrival of Mayflower, William Bradford wrote about the church's departure from Leiden, Holland to America. Referring to Scripture, as he often did, he wrote; "they knew they were pilgrims," in reference to Hebrews xi.13-16. Then, as now, a pilgrim is someone on a journey with a religious or moral purpose.
Bradford did not repeat the reference nor did he use "Pilgrim" as a label or title for the English in Plymouth Colony. More than 150 years later, this quotation was applied to everyone in Plymouth Colony, including those who were not part of the Leiden congregation. The name gained popularity in the 1800s and remains in common usage today.
21. Are there any existing portraits of Mayflower passengers?
Yes, one life portrait survives. Governor Edward Winslow sat for painters while he was in London serving Oliver Cromwell’s government. The Winslow portrait was painted by an unknown artist or artists, and is traditionally assigned to Robert Walker's workshop. The portrait is dated 1651. Winslow wears his finest black and white clothing, which was the height of fashion in the mid-17th century. The portrait is now part of the collection at Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
22. Why are "Saints" and "Strangers" used to describe the Pilgrims?
The use of these terms to describe religious differences in colonial Plymouth comes from the best-selling book and perennial favorite, Saints and Strangers (1945). Author George Willison was the first to use this classification, identifying Saints as the Plymouth colonists who had separated from the Church of England, and Strangers as the colonists who were loyal to the Church of England. It was a groundbreaking step in helping general readers recognize diversity in early Plymouth, but this simple division blurred the variety of regional, spiritual, economic and education differences among the Pilgrims.
For a 17th-century English Christian, the word saint referred to one of God’s chosen people called to eternal life, and like now, stranger meant someone unknown.
23. Did the Pilgrims describe themselves as Saints and Strangers?
The Pilgrims did not commonly use these terms to describe themselves.
24. Did the Pilgrims describe themselves as Puritans or Separatists?
No, in the 1620s, Puritan and Separatist were derogatory labels for two related reform movements in the English Protestant Church. Because of the negative connotations of each term, Englishmen did not identify themselves by either name.
Today, Puritan and Separatist are common terms used by historians to refer to different branches of religious reformation in England and the American colonies. Puritans are defined as religious reformers who felt the Church of England needed "purifying" from within, while Separatists are defined as members of the non-conformist churches who rejected their membership in the Church of England. According to these broad definitions, both Puritans and Separatists came to Plymouth in the 1620s.
25. What did the Pilgrims call themselves and their church?
The English colonists did not specifically label themselves in the letters, books and documents they wrote. Sometimes they refer to themselves as Planters (settlers and farmers) while the people who financed the colony were called Adventurers. The Separatist congregation in the colony followed the New Testament model of identifying the church by its location. One reference identifies it as the "Church of God, at Plymouth in New England."
26. Why is Plymouth spelled "P-l-i-m-o-t-h"?
Museum guests often question the unusual spelling of Plymouth in Plimoth Plantation. Plimoth is an old-fashioned spelling used by Governor William Bradford in his history of the colony, Of Plymouth Plantation. This spelling was adopted to differentiate the Museum from the modern town of Plymouth. There were no rules for the spelling of English words in the early 17th century, and each writer did as he or she pleased, phonetically spelling the word as seemed fit – sometimes differently on a single page. Plymouth is spelled a number of ways in colonial documents, including Plymouth, Plimouth, Plymoth, and Plimoth. When Plimoth Plantation was founded, it was decided to use Governor Bradford's most common usage, Plimoth.
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