Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-04-27

Brington and the small house in Brington sup,
posed TO have been occupied by the Washing
AsISGULAR COINCIDENCE
BY singular coincidence, from the admin
Ing parish OF Warden sprung the family OF
Lord North, the great antagonist Of Washing
ton and prime minister during tie A,-,rican
war. And more interesting still the cradle OF
the Franklin family If not ten miles aNay from
the once home of MashingtOn's ancestors.
Frankin's grandfather was a blarkSmi,h a,a
small proprietor at Ecton-a little VILLAGE ahout
two miles outside of the town of Northampton
where his family had lived on a freebolS ~
about 30 acres for fun 500 years, beyond which
the records did not extend
THE PARISH CHURCH AT BRrNorox
The journey from Northampton TO Brincton
is pleasant drive. along pleasant lanes and
shady hedges, and through the noble mark a,
Althrop. the seat Of Earl Spencer. knight OF the
garter, lord lieutenant of the county. member
OF the house of peers. The distance is above
seven miles. IL is a struggling collection Of
from $50 10 200 cottage houses, laid out IN one
long. winding street The cottages are really
charming little dwellings. in fact, If they we're
placed along the banks of the Rhine they might
be styled, with some degree of justice. villas.
The church Is located at the terminus OF a
beautifully shaded avenue and near by is a
stately elm, beneath which still stands the vii
lage cross IN a fair state of PRESCRIPTION and
bearing the old sun-dial on its crest. The in
terror of the church is OF great interest both 10
archaeologist and the students Of American his
tory. In II Is the cemetery and il exhibits an
almost connected series Of sepulchral memo
rails from the time of the 1udors TO the present
day. But of more interest are the memorials
connected with the Washington family That
we ma these memorials in the church at all
Is TO certain extent proof OF a relationship
having existed between the Mashinctons ana
the spencers, and that this relationship was a
near and acknowledged one is proved by the
TACT OF Lawrence NashingtOn's grave being in
the chapel of the church itself, reserved alnost
exclusively for the Spencer family. and OF
church.
THE SOUTHAMPTON wAsHrNaroxs
came originally from Warton in Lancashire
The father of the first Lawrence Washington
(of Sulgrave) was John Washington of that
place. His uncle was Sir Thomas Ketson. one
OF the great London merchants. who. in the
time of Henry VII and Henry VIII. developed
the wool trade of the country. Lawrence WASH
lngton was by profession a barrister and was
probably induced TO settle in Northamptonshire
that he might superintend his uncles trunsac-
tons with the sheep proprietors IN that county
Lawrence became a man of influence. in $50
he was elected mayor of Northampton At the
time of the desolation of the monasteries. oc-
cupylng an important position and identiiisd
with the principles of the reformation. he OBJ
tanned grant of the manor snd lands of Sui
grave. together with other esq tics, which till
then had belonged to the monastery OF St
Andrew at Northampton. Sulgraye remained
IN the family until 1870. aud was commonly
designated Nv ashlngton Manor"
DESCRIPTION OF sUIeRAvr.
Though written many years ago, the descrip-
ton OF Sulgraye by Washington Irving, when
on his pilgrimage to the ancestral homes of the
Washingtons, is said TO fairly describe the
SQlgraye of TODAY elf Waa
nelghborhood." said he, where the farm
houses were quaint and 6ntiquBted. A part
only of the manor-house rema Led, and was in
habIted by farmer. The Washington crest in
colored glass, was to be seen in the window OF
what was now the battery. The window on
which the old family arms were blazoned had
been removed TO the residence Of the actual
proprietor of the manor" In the pavement OF
the parish church OF Sulgrave is a stone slab,
bearing the effgies on brasses of Lawrence
Washington, gentleman, and Annie. his wife,
and their four sons and eleven daughters The
inscription, in black letter. il dated 1854 These
are the only memorials eNtant at Sugrave the
parish register having been destroyed The
NashingtOns held Sulgrave for three genera
tions, ranking among the nobility and gentry
of the county. When their fortunes appear to
have failed, and Lawrence Washington the
then proprietor, had 10 sell the estate Law
renee, with his brother Robert. then retired to
the parish OF Brlngton. counting. II would SEEM
the protection of the Spencer family The re-
latlonshlp between the two families accounts
for Lord Spencer Offering an ylum to the re-
duced family.
THE WASHINGTON HOME AT BRrNGroN
Brington proper has but single thorough
fare, and passing along that one goes on
through ''shady hollow" to the hamlet Of
Little Brington, where stands the cottage
which local tradition points out as the home of
the Nashingtons. Though the house would
now be designated a cottage, yet il bears
evidence, both external and internal that il
was at one time quite a respectable looking
structure, and may have been a farmhouse; IL
was not, at any rate. a laborer's cottage of the
period of which We speak. The house is Of
two full stories, the upper windows, three in
number, being close under the caves of the
matched roof. Below it has four front win
dows, and at present four small rooms, though
as the house has been made into dwellings for
two families the number of Rooms may have
been increased by later division. The fire.
place was evidently originally intended for
household OF greater pretenslons than that of a
mere laborer, being OF huge dimensions. such
as we find in old halls and castles. The upper
rooms are small but cosy. The wife OF one Of
the laborers inhabiting part of the cottage,
IN showing me the house, said that a tradition
among the people still existed that in former
times some fields of land were attached TO the
house. Over the door of the cottage there is
chiseled IN the stone the following inscription:
The Lord Giveth. the Lord Taketh Away;
Blessed be the Name OF the Lord.
Constructa 1GOe.
HAPPY CHANGE OF cIRcUMsTANoEs
The Washingtons did not stay at Little
Brington MANY wears The depression of their