Francis Cooke (c.1583 – April 7, 1663) was a Leiden Separatist, who went to America in 1620 on the Pilgrim ship Mayflower, which arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts. He was a founding member of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and a signer of the Mayflower Compact.
Early life
Cooke's ancestry is unknown, and there are no definite records regarding his birth. In Plymouth Colony in 1643, Cooke's name appears on the list of those "Able to Bear Arms". This suggests that he was under the age of sixty to be on such a list, and would probably have been born no earlier than 1583.
Cooke's first appearance in the historical record occurs on April 25, 1603, in Leiden, Holland, where he is named a witness at Raphael Roelandt's betrothal. Cooke lived in Leiden for about six years before the 1609 arrival of the congregation of English Separatists led by Pastor John Robinson. Cooke was betrothed to Hester Mahieu at the French Walloon Church in Leyden, the Vrouwekerk ("Church of Our Lady"). She had joined the church one month prior. Her family were Protestant (Walloon) refugees who left Lille in the Spanish Netherlands to escape religious conflict and persecution, and who then left for England. According to historian Charles Edward Banks, Leiden records show Francis Cooke's betrothal to be June 9, 1603. In the Leiden church Betrothal Book, Cooke is recorded as "Franchois Couck" and his bride, Hester Mahieu, with the witnesses to the marriage being two Walloons. They are identified as "..from England..." (Francis) and "...from Canterbury..." (Hester). Cooke and his wife departed Leiden in August 1606 to go to Norwich, England. The Leiden congregation had some Separatist members who had fled from Norwich. The Cooke's did not remain in Norwich long, because their son, John, was baptized at the Walloon Church in Leiden between January and March 1607, and then the couple, identified as "Franchoys Cooke et Esther sa femme" in the Leiden records, received communion on January 1, 1608.
In February 1609, members of Robinson's church came to Leiden. The Cookes did not immediately become members, but did join the Leiden congregation sometime after daughter Elizabeth was baptized on December 26, 1611. When the congregation decided to go to America in 1620, Cooke and his thirteen year–old son John committed to the voyage, but his wife, Hester, and the younger children remained in Leiden, waiting until the colony was better established.
The Mayflower Voyage
The Mayflower departed Plymouth, England, on , 1620. The small, 100-foot ship held 102 passengers and a crew of about 30-40 in extremely cramped quarters. By the second month at sea, the ship was being buffeted by strong westerly gales that caused the ship's timbers to be badly shaken. The caulking failed to keep out seawater, and the passengers—even in their berths—lay wet and ill. This, combined with a lack of proper rations and unsanitary conditions, contributed to the death of a crew member and a passenger.
They spotted Cape Cod Hook (now Provincetown Harbor), on after about nine weeks at sea. The vessel struggled for two days against strong winter seas while they tried to head south to their planned destination of the Virginia Colony. They were forced to abandon the effort, however, and return to the harbor at Cape Cod Hook. There they anchored on . The Mayflower Compact was signed later that day. Almost half the passengers perished in the cold, harsh, unfamiliar New England winter that followed—in the space of just a few months.
In Plymouth Colony
After the Pilgrims' arrival at Cape Cod, Cooke was one of those who signed the Mayflower Compact on November 11, 1620. William Bradford noted Cooke's presence in his journal: "...Francis Cooke and his son John ... but his wife and children came afterwards."
The plot of land for Cooke's house in New Plymouth was assigned to them late in 1620. It was located between the plots of Isaac Allerton and Edward Winslow. In the Division of Land in 1623, Cooke received two acres, one for himself and one acre for his son John. He also received four "Akers" for his wife and children who "...came ouer in the shipe called the Anne" in 1623.
In his book, Of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647, Bradford writes: