According to Little Compton Families, published by the Little Compton Historical Society, the earliest settlers of the Plymouth Colony, seeking to expand their boundaries, discovered a "garden spot" called Sogkonnet, meaning "haunt of the black goose" in the language of the inhabitants, the Sogkonitte tribe of Indians. The land was known as Sakonnet until 1682, when it was incorporated by Plymouth Colony and renamed Little Compton. In 1747, the town, along with Barrington, Bristol, Cumberland, Tiverton, and Warren were ceded by Massachusetts to Rhode Island, and Little Compton became an incorporated town of Rhode Island.