William Brewster (1566–1644) was a founding leader of Plymouth Colony and a guiding spiritual force among the Pilgrims. Educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge in 1580, he was deeply influenced by Puritan ideas. After serving as an assistant to Queen Elizabeth I’s diplomat William Davison, Brewster became a central figure in the Separatist movement, organizing underground religious services in Scrooby. He helped publish banned religious texts in Leiden, Netherlands, and later sailed on the Mayflower in 1620. In Plymouth, Brewster served as the colony’s senior elder, shaping its early religious and civic life and helping lay the foundation for religious freedom in America. Learn more.