Mayflower (redirected from mayflowers)

Mayflower, ship

Mayflower, ship that in 1620 brought the Pilgrims from England to New England. She set out from Southampton in company with the Speedwell, the vessel that had borne some of the English separatists from the Netherlands back to England for the momentous voyage. However, the Speedwell proved unseaworthy, and the ships put back to Plymouth, where the Mayflower took on some of the smaller ship's passengers and supplies. The Mayflower, under the captaincy of Christopher Jones, then set sail alone on Sept. 16. After a two-month voyage the ship sighted land (Cape Cod) on Nov. 19. Some time was spent in selecting a suitable place for the colony, and on Dec. 26 the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. Before landing, an agreement for the temporary government of the colony by the will of the majority was drawn up in the famous Mayflower Compact. Much effort has been spent on the identification of the Mayflower. It is known that she was a wineship, of 180 tons burden, and presumed that she was of a type commonly used in that period. In 1957 a British group sponsored the voyage of a replica of the original Mayflower from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Mass. The vessel was given to the United States as an expression of international goodwill and remains on exhibit at Plymouth, Mass.

Bibliography

See studies by W. Charlton (1957), C. Gill (1970), and N. Philbrick (2006).

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mayflower, in botany

mayflower, in botany, name for several spring-blooming plants. In England the hawthorn is called mayflower, or may; in North America the name is used for the trailing arbutus, the hepatica, and an herb (Maianthemum canadense) of the family Liliaceae (lily family). The latter, a common wildflower of northern forests, bears a cluster of small white blossoms and has many local names, e.g., Canada mayflower and false lily-of-the-valley. It is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Liliopsida, order Liliales, family Liliaceae.

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trailing arbutus

 or mayflower

Trailing evergreen plant (Epigaea repens) of the heath family, native to sandy or boggy, acidic woodlands of eastern North America. Its leaves are oblong and hairy, and its white, pink, or rosy flowers grow in dense clusters. It is grown in shady wildflower gardens and as ground cover in terraria.

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Mayflower

ship that brought the founding Puritans. [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 313]

See : America

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Mayflower

ship which brought Pilgrims to New World (1620). [Am. Hist.: NCE, 1730]

See : Colonization

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mayflower

of Massachusetts. [Flower Symbolism: Golenpaul, 633]

See : Flower, State

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Mayflower

vessel of America’s pilgrims (1620). [Am. Hist.: Hart, 530]

See : Journey