Description
Like in many other places, the Free Church Council was responsible for bringing the Mayflower Tercentenary to Guernsey. The island was well beyond the usual geographic range of the Mayflower story, but even so, its residents were keen to understand the tercentennial celebrations. Thus a series of lectures was organised and in November 1920, the Rev. C. Bolton Lea gave the introduction. Lea’s interpretation of the facts was somewhat far-fetched: “Besides founding the United States,” he claimed, the Pilgrims were also “pioneers in the ideals of franchise and Christian Church union”. The historical part of the lecture was read by Rev. Geo. Whitley. A highlight was the series of lantern slides that accompanied the lecture, which included a view of Cape Cod harbour.
The Free Church Council probably provided the template for such events, with lantern slides and lecture texts centrally produced. Nevertheless, interest on a local level was high, largely because of the identification many non-conformists felt with the persecuted pilgrims of the Mayflower – an empathy that the Free Church Council was at pains to encourage.
Source
Guernsey Press, “Mayflower Tercentenary”, 26 November 1920.