This section contains brief accounts of settlers who returned to England before 1640. It is not an exhaustive account, for reasons explained in the Introduction, but provides examples of people who left for England soon after they arrived in New England. Some left for good – disappointed, disenchanted or deported – like Thomas Sharpe, Thomas Tillam or Abigail Gifford. Some had only ever intended a short stay in New England, like Robert Cushman, who crossed the Atlantic (more or less) to preach a sermon at Plymouth. Some went back to visit England in the 1630s to sort out their affairs: not infrequently affairs of the heart, as the stories of George Alcock and Richard Brackett illustrate.

ALCOCK, George (c.1605–1640)

George Alcock emigrated in 1630 with his wife (Anne?), a sister of the minister Thomas Hooker, and settled at Roxbury, Massachusetts. He joined the church and was chosen deacon. His wife died in the winter of 1630/1. Alcock made two return journeys to England before 1640, first to fetch his son John and then to marry and bring over a new wife, Elizabeth. The Roxbury church records noted: ‘He maide two voyages to England upon just calling thereunto; wherein he had much experiens of Gods preservation and blessing’. He died in December 1640.