Perth Assembly facts for kids

The Perth Assembly was a special book published in 1619. It was created by a group of people called the Pilgrims in a city called Leiden in the Netherlands. This was just one year before they sailed to America on the famous Mayflower ship.

The book was quite secret! It was smuggled into Scotland hidden inside wine barrels. King James I was very upset by this book. Why? Because it strongly disagreed with something called the Five Articles of Perth. These articles were rules that forced a certain way of church leadership, called episcopacy, onto Scotland.

Who Published the Perth Assembly Book?

The main printer of the Perth Assembly book was a person named Johannes Sol. The main publishers were Thomas Brewer and William Brewster. After the book caused trouble, William Brewster had to hide. He then secretly left for a new place called Plymouth in America to avoid being arrested.

Other Pilgrims were also thought to be involved in printing the book. For example, George Soule, who might have been Johannes Sol's brother, was believed to be part of it. The problems caused by the book made these Pilgrims leave on the Mayflower. They even tried to hide where they came from.

Johannes Sol's helper, Edward Raban, also left. He went to Scotland in 1620 with Sol's wife, who was pregnant, after Johannes Sol passed away.