The Churchland or Church is a cultivar of the European pear (Pyrus communis), it was developed in New Rochelle, New York in northeastern United States. It is believed to have originated as a seedling raised by one of the early Huguenot settlers of the village in the late 17th century. The original tree stood on land which was owned by the Trinity St. Paul's Church of New Rochelle, hence the naming of the fruit "Church". The fruit was so luscious that it was universally liked and, by grafting, the tree soon had extensive propagation throughout the country. An early account of the tree appeared in the proceedings of the American Pomological Society in 1856.