Groton, Suffolk

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 Woodlands; the Groton Wood SSSI, the Mill Wood and Winding Wood nature reserves, 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 Book 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.

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 Green.

Pytches Mount
In Groton Park, Pytches or Pitches Mount is an example of a Norman 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.

Groton Pylon Campaign
A proposed 30 km line of Electricity pylons which would run close to the village, is being contested by the Groton Pylon Alliance. The campaign has received support from a descendant of John Winthrop in the USA.

Notable residents

 * John Winthrop, founder of Boston and first governor of the state of Massachusetts.
 * John Winthrop the Younger, governor of Connecticut.