Medfield, Colonial County of Suffolk, The Colony of Massachusetts Bay, British Colonial America (North America)

Suffolk county was created by the Massachusetts General Court on May 10, 1643, when it was ordered "that the whole plantation within this jurisdiction be divided into four shires". Suffolk initially contained Boston, Roxbury, Dorchester, Dedham, Braintree, Weymouth, and Hingham; it was named after Suffolk, England, which means "southern folk." The county evolved over time, splitting repeatedly In 1731, the extreme western portions of Suffolk County, which included Uxbridge, were split off to become part of Worcester County In 1793, most of the original Suffolk County (including Milton) except for Boston, Chelsea, Hingham, and Hull (which remained in Suffolk) split off and became Norfolk County Hingham and Hull would leave Suffolk County and join Plymouth County in 1803 Revere was set off from Chelsea and incorporated in 1846 and Winthrop was set off from Revere and incorporated in 1852 In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Boston annexed several adjacent cities and towns including Hyde Park, Roxbury, West Roxbury, and Dorchester from Norfolk County and Charlestown and Brighton from Middlesex County, resulting in an enlargement of Suffolk County.