Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands — Northwestern Europe

Pilgrims in Leiden

Pieterskerk

— Leidse Loper / Leiden Loop —

Pilgrims in Leiden Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, July 24, 2022

1. Pilgrims in Leiden Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

In 1609 arriveerde een groep Engelse vluchtelingen in Leiden. In eigen land konden zij hun protestantse geloof niet vrij uitoefenen en daarom weken zij uit naar de Nederlandse Republiek. Hun leiders waren William Bradford en John Robinson. Deze vluchtelingen zouden bekend worden onder de naam Pilgrims.

De ongeveer driehonderd Pilgrims woonden op verschillende plaatsen in Leiden. John Robinson kocht een huis met erf bij de Pieterskerk. Daar liet hij 21 huisjes bouwen voor zijn volgelingen. Het gebied stond dan ook bekend als de Engelse Poort. De huisjes moesten in 1683 plaats maken voor het Jean Pesijnhof (Kloksteeg 21). Omdat zij vreesden dat hun identiteit gevaar liep, vertrokken de Pilgrims vanaf 1620 in groepjes uit Leiden. Zij gingen op weg naar de Nieuwe Wereld: Amerika. Daar zouden zij later gezien worden als de grondleggers van de Verenigde Staten. Overigens bleef ongeveer de helft achter in Leiden. Hun namen werden vernederlandst. Zo werd de naam 'Coit veranderd in 'Koet' en werd 'McRae' 'Makreel'. John Robinson haalde Amerika overigens niet. Hij overleed in 1625 en werd begraven in de Pieterskerk. Een

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aantal Amerikaanse presidenten heeft Leidse Pilgrims als voorouders, waaronder Franklin Delano Roosevelt, vader en zoon Bush en ook Barack Obama. De voorouders van Obama, de familie Blossom, woonden hier, aan het Pieterskerkhof.

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In 1609 a group of English religious refugees arrived in Leiden. Their leaders were William Bradford and John Robinson. These refugees were to become known as the Pilgrims. There were about 300 Pilgrims living in various places in Leiden. John Robinson bought a house with ground near the Pieterskerk. There he had 21 small houses built for his followers. The area became known as the Engelse Poort (English Gate). In 1683 the houses had to make way for the Jean Pesijnhof (Kloksteeg 21), an almshouse.

The Pilgrims feared that they were in danger of losing their identity and so they began leaving Leiden from 1620. They were on their way to the New World: America. There they would later be seen as the founding Fathers of the United States. About half of them stayed behind. Their names were made Dutch. 'Coit' became Koet and McRae Makreel'. John Robinson did not get to America. He died in 1625 and is buried with several of his followers here in the Pieterskerk. A number of American presidents have had Pilgrims as ancestors, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Bush senior and junior,

Pilgrims in Leiden Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, July 24, 2022

2. Pilgrims in Leiden Marker - wide view

and Barack Obama. Obama's forefathers, the Blossoms, lived here, on Pieterskerkhof.

Erected by ANWB, Stad Leiden. (Marker Number 11.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Immigration • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1609.

Location. 52° 9.441′ N, 4° 29.235′ E. Marker is in Leiden, Zuid-Holland (South Holland). It is on Kloksteeg, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Leiden, Zuid-Holland 2311 SK, Netherlands. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Europe,

the European Union,

Atlantic Europe,

the Benelux Low Countries,

the Schengen Area,

Western Europe,

and the Western World.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire

and specifically also the Holy Roman Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pilgrim Fathers' Leiden Exile Deaths (here, next to this marker); The Mayflower, 1620: In Memory of Rev. John Robinson, M.A. (a few steps from this marker); John Robinson (a few steps from this marker); Jean Pesjinhofe / Jean Pesjin Almshouse (a few steps from this marker); Albert Verwey (a few steps from this marker); Gravensteen (within shouting distance of this marker); Recht en Slecht / Right and Wrong (within shouting distance of this marker); Philips van Leyden (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Leiden.

More about this marker. The marker can be seen between two exterior buttresses on the southwest corner of the Pieterskerk.

Also see . . .

Marker inset:<i>Visit to Leiden by former president G.H. Bush in 1980</i> image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Leidsch Dagblad, J. Holvast, Regionaal Archief Leiden, 1989

3. Marker inset:Visit to Leiden by former president G.H. Bush in 1980

And inset of inset: Signature of Thomas Blossom, an ancestor of Barack Obama, on a Leiden notarial document.

The Pilgrims Before Plymouth (Smithsonian Magazine, October 18, 2011).

Excerpt: Twenty-five miles from Amsterdam, the city of Leiden—known today for its canals and windmills, its popular farmers’ market and prestigious university—was in the early 17th century a bustling, economic hub in a Dutch republic beginning to exert its influence around the world. Famous for its large textile industry and its religious tolerance, Leiden welcomed workers and refugees. It is where a band of English Calvinists fled when persecuted in their homeland. In 1609, after a brief stay in Amsterdam, about 100 of them settled in Leiden. A decade or so later, as Leiden’s political and economic climate changed, the refugees moved again. They boarded a ship called the Mayflower, sailed across the Atlantic and in 1620, put down roots in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. Today we call them the Pilgrims.

(Submitted on October 28, 2022.)

Pieterskerk, southern face image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, July 24, 2022

4. Pieterskerk, southern face

The marker is just out of view on the right of the picture.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 28, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 350 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 28, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.