Groton, Suffolk
Encyclopedia
Groton is a village and civil parish
in Suffolk
, England
. Located around a mile north of the A1071 between Hadleigh and Sudbury
, it is part of Babergh district.
The parish church, dedicated to Saint Bartholomew, is flint
faced and has some 15th Century features but was heavily restored
in the 19th century. The village has no shops but does have a pub, the Fox and Hounds. In addition to Groton village, the parish contains the hamlets
of Broad Street, Castling's Heath
, Gosling Green
, Horner's Green
and Parliament Heath
. It is home to several Ancient Woodland
s; the Groton Wood
SSSI
, the Mill Wood and Winding Wood nature reserve
s, and a section of Bull's Cross Wood (part of the Milden Thicks SSSI). A tributary to the River Box and Pitches Mount, the remaining earthworks of a wooden castle, are also found in the parish.
as "Grotena". The lord of the manor was originally the Abbot
of Bury St Edmunds, but at the Dissolution
, was granted to the Winthrops. Groton, Massachusetts
is named after the village, as it was founded by a member of the Winthrop family; John Winthrop
was born at Groton Manor in 1587. He became the leader of the Winthrop Fleet
, a founder of the city of Boston
and one of the first Governors of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
. The parish church has a Victorian stained glass window in his memory. Groton, Connecticut
was also named after the village to honour of his son John Winthrop the Younger who settled in that area in 1646. On a common
called "The Croft" in the village is an old Mulberry
tree said to have been planted by Adam Winthrop, the grandfather of John the elder.
. It is also the location of Pytches Mount.
motte and bailey castle. It may have been built in the 12th Century by Adam de Cockfield. Only the motte or mound survives, which is 200 feet in diameter and covered in bushes and undergrowth. The name is thought by some to come from the Pecche family, who held Groton for the Abbot of Bury St Edmunds in 1200. It is more likely to be named after John Pytches who bought Groton Great House in 1805.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Located around a mile north of the A1071 between Hadleigh and Sudbury
Sudbury, Suffolk
Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:...
, it is part of Babergh district.
The parish church, dedicated to Saint Bartholomew, is flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
faced and has some 15th Century features but was heavily restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in the 19th century. The village has no shops but does have a pub, the Fox and Hounds. In addition to Groton village, the parish contains the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Broad Street, Castling's Heath
Castling's Heath
Castling’s Heath is a hamlet in the Babergh district of the county of Suffolk, England. It has a barn called Castling’s Hall, which is also called Dove Barn, where weddings take place. It is in the civil parish of Groton, which is a village. The nearest large village is Boxford.-Location grid:...
, Gosling Green
Gosling Green
Gosling Green is a hamlet in England, located in the parish of Groton in the Babergh district of the county of Suffolk.- Location :It is just by Groton Wood SSSI. The nearest large village is Boxford.- Villages and Hamlets :...
, Horner's Green
Horner's Green
Horner’s Green is a hamlet in England, located in the Babergh district of the County of Suffolk. It is in the parish of Groton. The nearest large village is Boxford.- Nearby Villages and Hamlets :- References :* Philip's Street Atlas Suffolk...
and Parliament Heath
Parliament Heath
Parliament Heath is a hamlet in the Babergh district of the county of Suffolk, England. It isin the civil parish of Groton, the nearest large village is Boxford. It also includes the tiny hamlet of Daisy Green.- References :...
. It is home to several Ancient Woodland
Ancient woodland
Ancient woodland is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer specifically to woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England and Wales . Before those dates, planting of new woodland was uncommon, so a wood present in 1600 was likely to have developed naturally...
s; the Groton Wood
Groton Wood
Groton Wood is a wood near Groton, Suffolk in the Babergh district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest .Groton Wood is considered to be one of the oldest woodlands in East England, along with Arger Fen...
SSSI
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
, the Mill Wood and Winding Wood nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
s, and a section of Bull's Cross Wood (part of the Milden Thicks SSSI). A tributary to the River Box and Pitches Mount, the remaining earthworks of a wooden castle, are also found in the parish.
History
In 1086, Groton was listed in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as "Grotena". The lord of the manor was originally the Abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of Bury St Edmunds, but at the Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, was granted to the Winthrops. Groton, Massachusetts
Groton, Massachusetts
Groton is a town located in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 10,646 at the 2010 census. It is home to two noted prep schools: Groton School, founded in 1884, and Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1793. The historic town hosts the National Shepley Hill Horse...
is named after the village, as it was founded by a member of the Winthrop family; John Winthrop
John Winthrop
John Winthrop was a wealthy English Puritan lawyer, and one of the leading figures in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the first major settlement in New England after Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the first large wave of migrants from England in 1630, and served as governor for 12 of...
was born at Groton Manor in 1587. He became the leader of the Winthrop Fleet
Winthrop Fleet
The Winthrop Fleet was a group of eleven sailing ships under the leadership of John Winthrop that carried approximately 700 Puritans plus livestock and provisions from England to New England over the summer of 1630.-Motivation:...
, a founder of the city of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and one of the first Governors of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
. The parish church has a Victorian stained glass window in his memory. Groton, Connecticut
Groton, Connecticut
Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 39,907 at the 2000 census....
was also named after the village to honour of his son John Winthrop the Younger who settled in that area in 1646. On a common
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
called "The Croft" in the village is an old Mulberry
Mulberry
Morus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae. The 10–16 species of deciduous trees it contains are commonly known as Mulberries....
tree said to have been planted by Adam Winthrop, the grandfather of John the elder.
Broad Street
Broad Street is a street in the village which is sometimes referred to as a hamlet in its own right, it is located near Mill GreenMill Green, Suffolk
Mill Green is a large hamlet in the parish of Edwardstone, in the Babergh District, in the English county of Suffolk. It has a Millennium Green and a wood called Mill Wood.- Features :...
. It is also the location of Pytches Mount.
Pytches Mount
In Groton Park, Pytches or Pitches Mount is an example of a NormanNorman dynasty
Norman dynasty is the usual designation for the family that were the Dukes of Normandy and the English monarchs which immediately followed the Norman conquest and lasted until the Plantagenet dynasty came to power in 1154. It included Rollo and his descendants, and from William the Conqueror and...
motte and bailey castle. It may have been built in the 12th Century by Adam de Cockfield. Only the motte or mound survives, which is 200 feet in diameter and covered in bushes and undergrowth. The name is thought by some to come from the Pecche family, who held Groton for the Abbot of Bury St Edmunds in 1200. It is more likely to be named after John Pytches who bought Groton Great House in 1805.
Notable residents
- John WinthropJohn WinthropJohn Winthrop was a wealthy English Puritan lawyer, and one of the leading figures in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the first major settlement in New England after Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the first large wave of migrants from England in 1630, and served as governor for 12 of...
, founder of Boston and first governor of the state of MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. - John Winthrop the Younger, governor of ConnecticutConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
External links
- Pitches Mount Geograph