Robert Cushman's 1625 Burial Record Uncovered

Michael R. Paulick and Robert C. Cushman have discovered Robert Cushman's burial date and location. Their findings are presented in "The 1625 Death of Pilgrim Robert Cushman in Benenden, Kent," the NEHG Register, Volume 172, Winter 2018. So much of what I know about my 12th great-grandfather Robert Cushman is thanks to these two gentlemen, and I am extremely grateful to them. This latest article is a must read for Cushman descendants.

It has been thought by many researchers that Robert Cushman died in London in 1625, some saying from the plague. The authors found he was buried in Benenden, Kent, on 6 May 1625, which is near his birthplace of Rolvenden, Kent, and where he must have been visiting family and friends when he died unexpectedly.

In November 1624 Robert Cushman was a deponent in a lawsuit in the High Court of Admiralty, Stevens and Fell vs. the Little James, which indicates he was of Rosemary Lane, London. Rosemary Lane was in the parish of St. Botolph without Aldgate in the northeastern district of London.The records of this parish are well kept but there is no mention of his death using the many possible variations of his surname.

Robert's late brother Richard lived in Benenden and his late sister Silvester Evernden was from nearby Tenterden, so he had nieces and nephews living there.

In his account of the failed 1620 voyage of the Speedwell, Robert gives a description of having suffered a heart attack and although he didn't know what it was, he knew he was gravely ill. His last letter to good friend and Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford, dated 22 December 1624, mentions he was coming on the next ship to Plymouth to live out his days. It would make perfect sense that he would be in the Benenden and Tenterden area to visit and say goodbye to his family and friends there. 

The Benenden Archdeacon's transcripts include a burial entry from May1625. "The 6 day Roberte couchman a stranger." The stranger reference would indicate he wasn't a member of the parish.

This is my third entry about my 12th great-grandfather Robert Cushman. He was baptized Rolvenden, Kent, and was an integral member of the Pilgrim's separatist congregation. You can see other posts about him here and here.