Degory Priest (c. 1579–1621) was a passenger on the voyage of the Mayflower in 1620. He signed the Mayflower Compact.
The name of Digory Priest or Prust is common in Devon, Cornwall and London England.
Priest was a member of the Separatists church. This religion was not allowed in England and many people moved to Leiden Netherlands Priest was one of those families.
Priest was a hat-maker from London. There are many legal documents in Leiden which show that he was born in 1579. In 1611 Priest married a widow named Sarah Vincent. Sarah was a sister of Mayflower passenger Isaac Allerton. Priest's became a citizen of Leiden on November 16, 1615 with Isaac Allerton and Roger Wilson.
On June 28, 1617 Priest asked two men to sign a legal document that said that he had not hit John Cripps but only “touched his Jabot”. This was the frill on the front of his shirt.
Leiden records show that Degory Priest was a witness to a statement signed on January 18, 1618. The statement was signed by Tailor Isaac Allerton. It was about the cost of a crimson coat.
On April 9, 1619, Degory Priest and Samuel Lee signed a document for Nicholas Claverly, a Tobacco pipe maker. This document was a promise for Claverly's good behavior. Claverly had arrived in Leiden about 1615 and lived in a house owned by Degory Priest.
Records show that on May 3, 1619 Degory Priest was a witness to a document signed by Richard Tyrill. Priest said that Nicholas Claverly was not connected with the murder of Tyrill’s brother John Tyrill.