While undertaking my survey of Massachusetts town and city names I kept running across one name: Governor Francis Bernard. Yes, we had a little love affair, me with my obsessive need to research, him with his obsessive need to name municipalities after friends, families and himself.
Most of this information is in the Why Do We Call It That series, but it’s scattered through multiple counties. So I am aggregating it here with the goal of solving a mystery: Did Bernard really name 28 towns during his tenure as governor? If so, which ones?
The 28 towns figure comes from this source:
“During the nine years Bernard was governor, from 1761 to 1770, thirty-nine towns were incorporated, of which twenty-eight were named by him.”
Bernard was actually in office from 1760 to 1769.
However, I only count 28 towns incorporated during that time. Towns with an asterix are ones I am positive he named.
- 1761 – Shutesbury *
- 1761 – Belchertown
- 1761- Great Barrington
- 1761 – Pittsfield *
- 1761 – Colrain
- 1762 – Bernardston *
- 1762 – Templeton
- 1762 – Athol *
- 1762 – Chesterfield
- 1762 – Sandisfield
- 1762 – Tyringham *
- 1763 – Warwick
- 1763 – Wilbraham
- 1764 – Winchendon *
- 1764 – Fitchburg
- 1764 – Newburyport
- 1765 – Williamstown
- 1765 – Royalston
- 1765 – Becket *
- 1765 – Lanesborough *
- 1765 – Charlemont
- 1765 – Ashburnham*
- 1765 – Ashfield *
- 1765 – Richmond *
- 1765 – Paxton *
- 1767 – Ashby
- 1768 – Worthington
- 1768 – Granby
Here are my thoughts on the rest:
Belchertown – Probable. Bernard knew Jonathan Belcher (Here is a letter about confusion regarding the St. Croix river.)
Great Barrington – Probable. Lord Barrington was the brother of Samuel Shute, whom Bernard named Shutesbury after the same year.
Colrain – Unlikely. The town is named for Coleraine, Ireland.
Templeton – Unlikely. Sir John Temple had arguments with Bernard.
Chesterfield – Unlikely. The Earl of Chesterfield opposed Britain’s treatment of the colonies and I can find no reason to think he knew Bernard.
Sandisfield – Probable. Here’s an ingratiating letter from Bernard to Lord Sandys.
Warwick – Unlikely. Whether the town was named for the town in England or the character “Guy of Warwick” it doesn’t seem that Bernard was involved.
Wilbraham – Unlikely. The residents really didn’t like the name, which seems to have been decided without them: “In 1763 the parish was incorporated into a town by the name of Wilbraham, the name was very grevious to us and we are hardly reconciled to it yet.” (Source)
That same source lays out 2 possible origins of the name:
An English baronet who died at least a century before the town was incorporated.
Or
A parish in England that was the ancestral home of William Pynchon, who had purchased the land that later became Wilbraham. Pynchon also died a century before incorporation.
If the townspeople really did find the name “grievous” it seems more likely that the name stemmed from the baronet. However I don’t see any connection between the Wilbrahams and Bernard.
Fitchburg – Definitely not. Fitchburg was named for settler John Fitch.
Newburyport – Definitely not. Newburyport split off from Newbury, which was incorporated before Bernard was in office.
Williamstown – Definitely not. The town was named after Ephraim Williams, who gave the town money in exchange for naming rights. Williams died before Bernard’s term.
Royalston– Unlikely. Royall was on the Governor’s Council while Bernard was governor but the established story is that Royall bought the naming rights with a promised 25 pound donation towards a meeting house.
Charlemont – Possible. The town is named for James Caulfield, 1st Earl of Charlemont. Caulfield was related to a Sir Francis Bernard but not OUR Francis Bernard. Still, there’s no reason why a town in central Massachusetts would pick him to name their town after. So Bernard could have been involved. I’m keeping my options open on this one.
Ashby – Definitely not. Ashby was also named by John Fitch, who liked the name because it was short.
Worthington – Possible. The town was named for John Worthington, a land speculator and lawyer who was one of the proprietors of the territory. Worthington was on the governor’s Council at the time of naming, meaning Bernard knew him and could have suggested his name. Worthington was a loyalist, so Bernard might have been rewarding him for that. Or Bernard simply approved the name that had been suggested by the other settlers.
Granby – Possible. The town was named for John Manners, the Marquess of Granby. Manners was a popular hero of the 7 Years War. Here is an overview that includes a picture of a commemorative mug with his picture on it. He was a true celebrity. But by 1768 his fortunes had turned and he was a former politician pursued by creditors.
Manners’ celebrity was great in England, but did that renown cross the Atlantic ocean? Is it likely that Bernard would have named a town after someone without prestige and influence? There are too many questions here.
That leaves me with 15 towns named by Bernard, a far cry from 28. Even if I count the “Possibles” I only have 18. Still, that means he named at least half of them, possibly more. I just want my dear, sweet Francis to get his due.
I remain Your most obedient humble Servant!
—Amy
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