James Chilton

BIRTH: About 1556, probably Canterbury, Kent, England, son of Lyonell Chilton.

MARRIAGE: *Mrs. Chilton, about 1585 or 1586.

Death: 8 December 1620, onboard the Mayflower in anchored off Provincetown Harbor.

Children: Isabella, Jane, Mary (died young), Joel (died young), Elizabeth, James (died young), Ingle, Christian, James, and Mary.

James Chilton was born about 1556, probably at Canterbury, Kent, England, the son of Lyonell Chilton and his second wife (whose name has not been found). James married about 1585 or 1586, and had his first child baptized at St. Paul's, Canterbury, Kent, England on 15 January 1586/7. The name of his wife is not found in any records. The long-published claim that she was Susanna Furner was disposed of by Michael Paulick's research published in 1999..

James Chilton and wife had seven children born in Canterbury, Kent, before moving about 1600 to Sandwich, Kent, where he had his last three children baptized. In 1609, his wife (unfortunately called simply "___ Chilton wife of James Chilton," was charged by the Archdeaconry Court with attending the secret burial of a child (they opposed the "popish" burial ceremonies of the Church of England). It was presumably not long before the family left for Holland. In 1619, James Chilton (aged 63) and his oldest daughter Isabella were caught in the middle of an anti-Arminian riot in Leiden, and he was hit in the head with a stone, requiring the services of the town surgeon Jacob Hey.

James, his wife, and his youngest daughter Mary came on the Mayflower in 1620. James, at the age of 64, was the oldest person to have made the Mayflower's voyage. James died on 8 December 1620 onboard the Mayflower, which was then anchored off Provincetown Harbor--one of six passengers to die in the month of December. His wife also died sometime the first winter, but daughter Mary survived.