In 1620, English settlers known as the Pilgrims established their colony in nearby Plymouth . Per the terms of their contract with financial backers in London , they were required to live together in a tight community for seven years. At the end of that term in 1627, land along the coast was allotted to settlers for farming . Thus, the coastline from Plymouth to Marshfield , including Duxbury, likely named after Myles Standish's ancestral home of Duxbury Hall in Chorley , was parceled out, and many settlers began moving away from Plymouth. [2]