page_title: History of Southampton
section_title: Stuart period (1603–1714)
hierarchical_section_title: History of Southampton / Stuart period (1603–1714)
caption_attribution_description: English: The "Pilgrim Founders", early religious settlers of North America, originally embarked from the British port of Southampton. This obelisk in Southampton commemorates the departure, as well as being a War memorial to US soldiers.
context_page_description: Southampton is a city in Hampshire, England. The area has been settled since the Stone Age. Its history has been affected by its geographical location, on a major estuary on the English Channel coast with an unusual double high-tide, and by its proximity to Winchester and London; the ancient and modern capitals of England. Having been an important regional centre for centuries, Southampton was awarded city status by Queen Elizabeth II in 1964.
  Southampton became an important port in medieval times, experiencing several hundred years of fluctuating fortunes until it was expanded by the Victorians.
  As a centre of commerce, an industrial town and an important military embarkation point, Southampton was a strategic target for the Luftwaffe and was severely damaged in World War II.
  Post-war re-development and the need to accommodate 20th century innovations such as the motor car has significantly altered the character of Southampton.
context_section_description: The port was the original point of departure for the Pilgrim Fathers aboard the Mayflower in 1620. A memorial can be found on Town Quay. Since that time it has been the last port of call for millions of emigrants who left the Old World to start a new life in the USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Barbados and other parts of the world.
  In 1642, during the English Civil War, a Parliamentary garrison moved into Southampton, initially to defend against seaborne attack from Royalist ships. A Royalist army advanced as far as Redbridge in March 1644 but were prevented from taking the town by Colonel Richard Norton. The Battle of Cheriton, also in March 1644, subsequently removed the threat to Southampton.
  In June 1664, the Black Death returned to Southampton. This new plague seriously disrupted life and led the Corporation to report that it was unable to continue governing the town. By the time the epidemic ended in November 1666, 1700 people had died.
  Isaac Watts the younger, born in Southampton in 1674, wrote the words of the hymn "O God Our Help in Ages Past". His early education was at the Free Grammar School. He was a member of the Above Bar Independent Community. This non-conformist community was persecuted following the Act of Uniformity of 1662. Isaac Watts' father, also named Isaac, suffered periods of imprisonment in the Bargate.
  In 1689 the right to vote in parliamentary elections, which had previously been limited to freemen, was extended to include those paying Scot and lot.
caption: The Pilgrim Memorial, Town Quay
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