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By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Special Correspondent
Many towns in Massachusetts share names with with English towns. From Boston and Cambridge to Worcester and Salem, a great number of cities of the Commonwealth carry monikers that harken back to the area’s British colonial history.
Needham is one of them. When the former section of Dedham incorporated in 1711, it took its name from Needham Market, England.
Across an ocean, thousands of miles away in the United Kingdom, resides Needham, Massachusetts' namesake. Needham Market is a small town, located in Suffolk, England. According to the 2011 census, it is home to a population of 4,528 - tiny in comparison to Needham's over 30,000 residents. The English town has sported its name since at least 1245.
The Church of Saint John the Baptist.
Like its Massachusetts counterpart, Needham Market was once part of another town. Initially, Needham was a part of Barking. In 1245, King Henry III granted a market charter for Needham. Some historians suggest that the market took place every Wednesday, but there is no way to determine on which exact day it took place each week.
Coincidentally, the two towns have a history with producing textile products. Needham, MA was known for producing knitted goods. Needham Market, meanwhile, formed with the wool combing industry. Wool combing was the process of preparing wool for weavers to spin.
The market town’s prosperity would be relatively brief, though, as the plague swept through the area. From 1663 until 1665, the town of Needham Market was contained and isolated from the rest of the country. In those few years, an estimated two-thirds of the population died out, along with the prospective wool combing industry. To prevent the spreading of the plague, a chain was stretched from the south side of the town to the north side of the town. According to the town's official website, "The chains would not have been an effective physical barrier, so they must have acted as a psychological deterrent."
It wasn't until the industrialization of the nineteenth century that the town began to recover and prosper once again. Today, the town still bears names that reference the time of the plague: Chainbridge and Chainhouse.
Today, Needham Market contains a number of historical sites. There's a Victorian railway dtation, the Waggon and Horses Public House (established in 1591), and Needham Lake.
Just outside of Needham Market’s Church of Saint John the Baptist.
Perhaps most impressively, the local Saint John the Baptist Church is one of the few churches built prior to the 15th century left in England; the church was initially built so that Needham Market’s residents would no longer have to travel to Barking to attend services. The church possibly existed as far back as 1277. Like many churches in its area, Saint John's was probably a popular stop for pilgrims on their way to the shrine of Saint Edmund. The church features a carved angel on the ceiling. Medieval stained glass windows in the sanctuary survived the World War II bombings of Suffolk and remain in the sanctuary of the building to this day. Pilgrim figures from the 15th century were added in the early 2000s, reminding visitors just how long the church has existed.
Visiting Needham Market has probably not been on many Needham residents’ agendas. However, if any Needhamites find themselves in Suffolk, England, they may want to consider paying their town's namesake a visit. Whether it be for a jaunt to Saint John the Baptist church, or even just a quick stop to soak in the sights, visitors are sure to learn something about Needham's town twin.
Photos by Wikimedia Commons
