Sturton Le Steeple's most famous son is John Robinson, know as the Pilgrim Pastor. He was the first pastor and inspiration to the church of the Pilgrim Fathers.
John Robinson was born in Sturton Le Steeple about 1576, the first child of John and Ann Robinson. The house the Robinson's may have lived in still stands in the village. 

John studied at Cambridge University, where he was admitted to Corpus Christi college on April 9th 1592. In February 1595 he gained the degree of Bachelor of Arts, in March 1597 he was elected a Fellow of his college and became Master of Arts in 1599. Robinson took Holy Orders about the same time as he became a fellow.

Following his marriage to a Sturton girl, Bridget White, on February 15th 1604, he and his new bride moved to Norwich where their children John and Ann were born. Here he came into conflict with the Bishop of Norwich, John Jegon who tried to bring the clergy of the diocese into line with the Puritan party. Robinson chose to obey his conscience rather than the Bishops orders and was suspended from his ministry, along with those who supported him. At this time he determined that he could no longer remain a member of the Church of England and so, as this meant he could no longer work in Norwich, it is believed he returned to his native Sturton. In the neighbouring villages around Sturton there were several who were struggling with the same thoughts as Robinson. Among them were John Smith at Gainsborough, William Brewster at Scrooby and Richard Clifton at Babworth. Before long he joined those of Scrooby and established a life long friendship with Brewster and Bradford

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This separation of those who had taken Holy Orders caused quite a stir in the established church. This was so great a challenge to the established Church that the Arch Bishop of York and the Bishop of Lincoln determined to crush the movement. The persecution that followed forced Robinson and his fellow believers to emigrate to Holland where others had already fled. By 1608 the Pilgrims were established and "joined themselves" by covenant of the Lord, into a Church estate in the fellowship of the Gospel. John Robinson was chosen as Pastor and John Carver as Deacon. Carver was married to Bridget Whites sister and was considered with great regard by Robinson. It on this account that he was later chosen to be the first Governor of the Plymouth Colony.

While in Holland the idea of forming a colony in America was born. Dreaming of a life free of persecution so plans were laid for the voyage across the Atlantic. After much negotiation they obtained permission from the London Virginia Company to make a settlement in their territories. On September the sixth, 1620 the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth Sound with the original 102 souls on board. John Robinson and his wife remained in Leyden, Holland with the clear intention of joining his friend's in a 'New England' However his efforts were frustrated largely because of poverty and the hostility towards him for his liberal views on Church Governance.
On March 1st 1625 John Robinson died and was buried in the Church of St. Peters, Leyden, Holland. His friends, now established in New England must have been very saddened at the death of their Pastor. He was a most remarkable and highly respected man. The Pilgrims of the Mayflower were sustained and inspired by the religious convictions of Robinson. His books and his ideas have inspired the current ideas of the rights and privileges of the citizen in the state.

A permanent reminder of the Pilgrim Fathers, in the form of a picture depicting the Mayflower hangs on the north wall of the nave in Sturton Le Steeple Church of St. Peter and St. Paul.