Killingworth Connecticut Historical Information

The history of Killingworth is both lengthy and auspicious.

It dates back to the mid 1600's when Killingworth originally made up what is now present day Killingworth and the Town of Clinton which lies to the south.

Killingworth was first settled in 1663 as the plantation of “Homonoscitt” (Hammonasset). Among the regulations for the ordering of the plantation in October 1663 was that there shall be at least thirty families on the east side of the Hammonasset.

The 30 lots were laid out along what is Main Street in Clinton on both sides of the Indian River.

Then, at a Court of Election held in Hartford on May 9, 1667, it was ordered that “ye towne of Homonoscit shall for ye future be named Kenilworth, & for yr brand of horses they shall have ye letter V on ye near buttock.”

On October 10, 1667, the Court gave permission for the inhabitants of Kenilworth “to gather themselves into church order.”

In October 1667, a call to be minister was made to the Rev. John Woodbridge, a graduate of Harvard. Thus the town of Kenilworth became incorporated into the area, and through corruption and misspellings of the name, Kenilworth became Killingworth, which name was used exclusively after the year 1707.