Barnstable is today both a town and a county in Massachusetts, consisting of the southern Cape Cod Bay and the "hook" with the associated islands; it's name is from the town of "Barnstaple" which is in Devon, England Barnstable is an old-English spelling, 1st recorded in the 10th century; it is believed to have been derived from the Old English "bearde" (meaning "battle-axe") and "stapol" meaning "pillar" which refers to a post to mark a religious meeting place The area was first explored by Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602 & was one of the first towns to be settled in The Plymouth Colony in 1638; it was incorporated on September 4, 1639 The early settlers were farmers, led by the Reverend Joseph Hull who became the founder of the town of Barnstable. A memorial tablet was dedicated to him on the 300th anniversary of the town's founding in 1939, marking the site of his home; the rock from which he preached still stands along the nearby highway The county is visible at: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Barnstable+County,+MA/@41.7979505,-70.8691171,9z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x89fb36eb9ac43937:0x268447ff6f1b72d5!8m2!3d41.6990958!4d-70.3209113 Note: certain events were found to be incorrectly tagged to "Barnstable Bay Colony" and were corrected [ source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnstable_County,_Massachusetts ]