Samuel More

In the first, he arranged for the removal of his children to the New World aboard the Mayflower; later, during the English Civil War, a garrison under his command was massacred by besieging forces.

The estates were held in an entail whereby inheritance was restricted to male heirs, but Samuel's father, Richard, paid 600 pounds to Jasper More in the marriage settlement, so there must have been a clear title.

[7][8] In 1616, Samuel More accused his wife of adultery and, at the direction of his father, Richard, devised a plan to rid himself of Katherine and the children.

The adultery was supposedly committed with Jacob Blakeway, a young man near in age to Katherine who lived close by and whose family had been More tenants for several generations.

[13][14][15] At that time, children were routinely rounded up from the streets of London or taken from low-income families receiving church relief to be used as labourers in the New World colonies.

Most people thought it a death sentence, and indeed, many did not survive either the voyage or the harsh climate, disease, and scarcity of fresh food, for which they were ill-prepared.

[23][24] The statement details that soon after the denial of the appeal on 8 July 1620, the children were transported from Shipton to London by a cousin of Samuel More and given into the care of Thomas Weston, "…and delivered to Philemon Powell who was intreated to deliver them to John Carver and Robert Cushman undertakers for the associats (sic) of John Peers (Pierce).

[29] As the agent of the Merchant Adventurer investment group that was funding the Puritan voyage, Bradford states that Weston caused them many financial and agreement contract problems, both before and after the Mayflower sailed.

Weston’s Puritan contacts for the voyage were John Carver and Robert Cushman, who jointly agreed to find the children guardians among the Mayflower passengers.

[31] Within several weeks of the More children's arrival in London, and without their mother Katherine's knowledge or approval, they were in the care of others on the Mayflower, bound for New England.

This legal action in early 1622 before Chief Justice James Ley led to Samuel's statement explaining where he sent the children and why, the historical evidence for his parents' history.

They were designated to be labour in the colony of (Northern) Virginia (present-day Long Island), which was the Mayflower's intended destination until winter weather forced the ship to anchor at Cape Cod.

Exactly what explanation was given for the More children's presence on the ship, unattended by any legal guardians, is not known, as many homeless waifs from the streets of London were sent to the New World as laborers.

Samuel's own account[41] states that he finally surrendered once the Cavaliers had breached the castle walls, whereupon his men were brutally slaughtered.