Monument to Captain Christopher Jones stands in the courtyard of the Church of the Virgin Mary in Rotherham, where the sailor ended his days. In the hands of Jones' child, the captain turned back - it looks at the English coast, which still came back. The child is looking ahead - to where the ocean is a welcome America.

Christopher Jones, was the captain of "Mayflower", a merchant ship, hired a group of English Puritans for their crossing from Europe to America, away from the persecution of King James I. deeply religious people, the Puritans first tried to create a clandestine church in the county of York, then fled to the tolerant Netherlands. Settle down here they could not, and then the idea of ​​moving to the New World.

Journey across the ocean, hundreds of people were then to be difficult and very expensive. Puritans signed a bonded contract with the Virginia company: that finances the transfer on the terms of the loan has a long mining in America. Southampton Pilgrim (as they were called later) went on two ships, but the smaller one had sprung a leak. The flight across the ocean just went "Mayflower", which took on board all the passengers and cargo. He commanded them to Christopher Jones, an experienced captain and very successful, wealthy trader.

Two-month voyage was extremely heavy. The approaching winter storm. Two pilgrims died on the way (but one Oceanus Hopkins was born). Winds rejected the ship's course to the north. November 21, 1620, Christopher Jones dropped anchor off the American coast. And passengers, the sailors and seriously ill - for many of them that winter was the last. The rest was built from scratch the house, they found a common language with the Indians survived and marked the beginning of a new nation. "Mayflower" was waiting in the harbor until April, when Captain Jones headed for England.

Reverse course it took only a month. May 5, 1621, Christopher Jones stepped to the ground Roterhita. In the summer, he resumed commercial flights to the "Mayflower", but after Captain America's health was not that, and a year later he died at the age of 52 years. Dead man true to his word and to fulfill its obligations in spite of everything.

Book of the parish of the Virgin Mary is said that Christopher Jones is buried in the churchyard. Without a doubt, this is the right place for resting honest captain church many threads related to the sea, even the seat of the bishop is made here of the boards with warship "Fighting Temrea", participated in the Battle of Trafalgar.

The tomb itself is the captain lost in 1715 during restoration work on the church. In 1995, to mark the 275th anniversary of the voyage "Mayflower" was a sculpture work Jamie Serdzhant (if you enter a church courtyard with Saint Mary's Church Street, it's easy to see the monument - it stands to the left of the church). In the same year the church was placed a commemorative plaque, reminiscent of the courageous captain Christopher Jones and his "Mayflower."