On a wall adjacent to the harbour and close to the Mayflower Steps is a plaque bearing the names of the 102 passengers aboard the Mayflower upon its launch from Plymouth. Of these, 37 were members of the so called Leiden congregation, which consisted of English separatists who had sought religious freedom in the Netherlands before choosing to set out for the New World. The others were recruited by the London Merchant Adventurers .  While all but one would survive the voyage, around half did not make it through the first harsh winter in the new colony.