Braintree. What what.

[DuhCow]

Why is Braintree, Massachusetts called Braintree? Is there a type of tree called the brain?

[Q.E.D]

A couple possibilities here:

The origin of the name Braintree is obscure. It is believed by some scholars that the name of the River Brain came later, and so was named after the town, rather than the other way round. One theory is that Braintree was originally Branoc’s tree, Branoc apparently being an old personal name. Another theory is that the name is derived from that of Rayne, which was actually a more important settlement in Norman times. Braintree was called Branchetreu in the Domesday Book.

[Tapioca_Dextrin]

IOW, the pilgims etc. named it after a home town in Yee Oldee Eenglandee.

[David_Simmons]

@Tapioca Dextrin

IOW, the pilgims etc. named it after a home town in Yee Oldee Eenglandee.

As is the case with Boston and other towns and cities in the area.

[yabob]

Perhaps the people that settled it were a bit more cerebral than the ones who settled Belchertown.

[anyrose]

@DuhCow

Why is Braintree, Massachusetts called Braintree? Is there a type of tree called the brain?

I just got back from there!
Were you there this weekend?

[ticker]

@Tapioca Dextrin

IOW, the pilgims etc. named it after a home town in Yee Oldee Eenglandee.

This one

[AskNott]

“What are we gonna do tonight, Braintree?”

“The same thing we do every night, Pinkytree. Try to take over the world.”

[GorillaMan]

It’s not just Braintree: Massachusetts is full of other place names also taken from England. All but two of the county names are from England, as are a good chunk of city names.

[anyrose]

i had two theories that had nothing to do with reality
1- that the settlers thought the indigineous tree tops looked like brains
and
2- that the settlers ate the leaves and felt smart

[Catalyst]

@anyrose

i had two theories that had nothing to do with reality
1- that the settlers thought the indigineous tree tops looked like brains
and
2- that the settlers ate the leaves and felt smart

Or
3–the indigenous trees eat brains!

[Love_Rhombus]

@Catalyst

Or
3–the indigenous trees eat brains!

Triffids! :eek:

[alimarx]

Supposedly. the man who named Athol MA had a lisp.

[Cemetery_Savior]

I’m pretty sure there’s a Braintree Coral in the salty depths. Any chance there are tons of the eponymous corals offshore from the town?

[GorillaMan]

@Cemetery Savior

I’m pretty sure there’s a Braintree Coral in the salty depths. Any chance there are tons of the eponymous corals offshore from the town?

I just had to Google this one…yet, to my surprise, at the top of the page was “Local results for coral near Braintree” - Coral Garden Aquatics in Chelmsford. So now you know

[jdc]

Rt 202 is sometimes called The Alimentary canal…

because…

It goes from Belchertown to Athol.

[Rysdad]

@anyrose

2- that the settlers ate the leaves and felt smart

I felt smart. Smart felt I.

Say that three times real fast.

[KCB615]

It’s not just Braintree: Massachusetts is full of other place names also taken from England.

Some are taken from Wales, too (see up about 3/4" and to the right)…

[Mangetout]

Reported spam post #19

[njtt]

Briantree is a small town in Essex, UK. No doubt the one in Massachusetts is named after it. The Wikipedia page for the original Braintree has a section on the origin of the name.