| William Brewster was born around 1566, the son of William Brewster, the postmaster of Scrooby. He was educated in both Greek and Latin and attended Cambridge University, although he did not complete his degree. Brewster entered the service of William Davison, then Secretary of State, during which time he first travelled to the Netherlands. After Davison's fall from grace, Brewster returned to Nottinghamshire and eventually took up his father's position. This included maintaining Scrooby Manor. Brewster was instrumental in establishing the small Separatist church with Richard Clyfton, and they often held meetings in the Manor House. Fearing persecution and prosecution, Brewster and the others from Nottinghamshire fled the country in autumn 1607. They reached Amsterdam in spring 1608 and moved on to Leiden, Holland in 1609 where Brewster became the church's Elder. In 1620 when the Pastor John Robinson decided to remain behind in Leiden, the small expeditionary group venturing out on the Mayflower wanted the next highest ranking church official, Elder Brewster, go with them. He took his wife Mary and two youngest children, Love and Wrestling, with him. Brewster continued his work as Church Elder throughout his life at the Plymouth Colony. He died in 1644, aged almost eighty.
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