Bristol in Massachusetts is not a singular place but rather a county. Bristol County was created in the southwest of Massachusetts by the Plymouth Colony on June 2, 1685, and named after its county seat, Bristol. Bristol town was named after Bristol, England. The Plymouth Colony, along with the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Maine Colony and several other small settlements were rechartered in 1691, by King William III, to become The Province of Massachusetts Bay.
The towns of Bristol, Barrington, and Warren were awarded to Rhode Island in 1746 as part of the settlement of a long-running boundary dispute. Which means the Bristol in Rhode Island is the same one that was once in Massachusetts. After the departure of Bristol, Taunton was made the shire town of Bristol county.
History of Bristol County, Massachusetts by Frank Walcott Hutt, 1924 (Internet Archive)
Bristol County, Massachusetts (Karen McPherson)
Bristol County, Massachusetts (Massachusett Local History - Internet Archive)
History of Bristol County, Massachusetts by D. Hamilton Hurd, 1883 (Internet Archive)
Massachusetts Census Bristol County (Barbara Tourtillott)
Our country and its people by Alanson Borden, 1823-1900 (Internet Archive)
The History of Bristol County (Bristol County Convention & Visitors Bureau - Internet Archive)
Welcome To Bristol County, MA (County Commissioner's Office)
Welcome To Bristol County, Massachusetts, USA (USGenNet)
Welcome to Bristol County, Massachusetts! (USGenNet - Internet Archive)