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Fall 2007 Meeting Renews Connections between Duxbury, Massachusetts and Duxbury Estate, Chorley, England by Patrick Browne
Duxbury Estate in Chorley (sometimes known as Duxbury Manor) was owned by the Standish Family from the 14th century until 1898. A portion of the Estate today survives as “Duxbury Park Golf Course,” more than 200 acres of conservation land and golf links featuring picturesque woodland and riverside trails. The original manor house, Duxbury Hall, no longer survives, having been razed in 1957. However, several of the older outbuildings still stand at the center of the park. Myles Standish, a famed Mayflower passenger and Captain of Plymouth Colony’s militia, received a land grant in what is now Duxbury, Massachusetts. The vicinity of his homestead and farm is now known as “Standish Shore.” Duxbury residents are, of course, familiar with the Standish Monument which rises 116 feet atop Captain’s Hill, once part of Standish’s farm. It has often been theorized, by historians on both sides of the Atlantic, that Myles Standish of Pilgrim fame was related to the Lancashire Standishes who owned Duxbury Estate in Chorley. In his will, Myles Standish mentions inheritance rights to land in several locations just a few miles from Duxbury Estate. Some have even theorized that Myles spent some time in, or at least was familiar with, Duxbury Hall. According to this theory, Myles applied the name of his family’s estate to the new settlement of Duxbury in Plymouth Colony. Unfortunately, there are no primary sources surviving today that detail exactly how and why Duxbury, Massachusetts was named. Furthermore, definitively linking Myles Standish to the Standishes of Lancashire has proven difficult. However, as Ed Fisher reported during his visit, the St. Laurence Historical Society is actively pursuing evidence of this link, searching local records for any mention of Myles Standish. Another of the St. Laurence Historical Society’s ongoing projects involves research on Duxbury Estate as it appeared in 1584, about the time of Myles Standish’s birth. St. Laurence Historical Society historians Tony Christopher and Bill Walker have delved into previously untapped local records to create a detailed map of Duxbury Estate in 1584. A copy of this map was given to the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society by Ed Fisher during his visit. The visit is just the beginning of what is hoped will be an ongoing dialogue between the two groups. |
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pbrowne@duxburyhistory.org with
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In
August, Ed Fisher, chairman of the St. Laurence Historical Society in Chorley,
England (on right in photo), paid a visit to Patrick Browne, Executive Director
of the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society (on left in photo). Mr. Fisher came
to share information on the many projects of the St. Laurence Historical Society
(which takes its name from the Church of St. Laurence in the center of Chorley)
and to learn more about Myles Standish, whose status as local historical figure
is fast on the rise in Chorley, Lancashire, England.