Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-10-05
THE WASHINGTON BRAssEs.
Precious Relics Taken From Sulgra,
Church.

Nehcs iaken FROM Suk8rav
Church.
From the strstford- upou- Avon Hernia
considerable excitement has recently bee
caused IN the little Northamptonshire villa
OF Sulgrave, the old home OF the washington
lancestors OF the illustrious founder OF a
american republc). by the discovery that ~
m-morlai brasses Of great interest had bee
stolen from the parish church. They repr(
senfed members OF the Washington family, an
were placed In the south aisle near 10 ID
manor pew. IL appears that about fortnigt
ago TWO men in gentlemanly attire visited su
grave. As they appeared to be Americans n
one thought 1t at all out Of the way that the
should visit the parish church. They wer
allowed free run Of the place. which invar
ably is open all day. sulsray
church, indeed. 10 shrine 20 whic
many patriotic Americans make devotlons
image when visiting the mother country
Inc sunday following II was discovered thu
two Of the brassss affixed TO the washingto
slab IN the nave had been forcibly remove
and taken away. This slab was made after M
decease OF Amy Washington. the wife of Law
renee washington, as a memorial of herself AM
her husband. Six different plates OF brass wer
set In the stone. The first contained the Wash
ington coat OF arms. argent, two bars gules
chief three mullets of the second This
ordinary English, means a white shield crosse
with two red stripes. and toward the top thre,
red stars. The coat of arms, borne by In,
Nashingtons who emigrated TO America va
the origin OF the stars ands tripes, or stars and
garters of the United States the national ear
Near, one on each side i'm brass were formerl
emSles OF Washington and his wife, and belov
them on a brass plate OF oblong shape was Ia,
following inscription in three lines:
Here lyeth buried ye bodys Of Laurence wsssbinsto
s"ns VA A an hi, wy oy wh9me he bad issue iii
aSo ) iS emss &c ni Dyed ye a., - day
october ano Dni 1864.
Under this are representations OF the foul
sous and seven daughters in two groups.
Inc costume of Lawrence Washington and
MS children Is that of the ordinary attire 81
civilians OF the middle of the sixteenth centuryl
ne iather wears aclose-fttipg doublet, a largs
loose gown, with demi-canon sleeves purified
Win lur, and large broad-toed shoes The bow
wear large doublets, knee breeches long hose
aug snoes nke their father, and each has hi
g nciere at his girdle. The girls wear close
hitting caps, with gowns reaching 10 the ank les
ana secured round the waist with band. Iht
brass representing Amy Washington no longes
From the brasses il would seem that the de-
cease OF the wife was the occasion for the Law
ing down of the monument as the date of he =
eeatn, 1904, Is inserted, while the date of her :
husbands demise is left blank after the cus-
tom OF the tlme) TO be filed in when he, tool
shoula ole. When he died in 1853, however.
that was not done.
This Lawrence Washington of SulvrayeJ
whose monument has just been robbed. was
'"iee mayor OF Northampton, in 1888 and
again IN 1916; and his name appears upop two
ol the mayoralty shields in the town hall Cd
SSol.hampton. He is described by Baker as Of
northampton and Gray's Inn esquire His frs 4
we was + lzabeth Cough, the widow of VIM.
4ougn oil Northampton, and his second. Amy.
daughter OF Robert Partiger of Greatworth. in|
the thlrtieth year OF the reign Of Henry yIIII
SIoSo-Ss), manor Of Sulgrave and all lands in|
SuIgraSe belonging to the dissolved prIories OF
Lannon's Ashby aud Gatesby we're granted to|
HIM After his death in 1858 his heir. Robertl
washington, and Roberts eldest son. also
named Lawrence, sold the manor TO another
member Of the family.
vi course the great interest in this memorial
Sehters IN the relation Lawrence Washington
pore 70 the founder of the United States re-
Pupnc- Baker, in his great history of North
namptonshire, traces the pedigree of George|
Washington from John Washington of Whit
Ieia, Ia Lancashire, through this identical
Lawrence and his second wife. Amy and their
grandson, Lawrence Washington of Sulgraye.
OH henry Dryden, however, writes:
according TO Baker, the last-named Law
renee mad, among other sons John and Law
renee. who emgrated 10 America, aud from the
nrst OF whom was descended George Washing
ton, the first President of the United States
IL has been shown by Col Chester in The
herald and GenealogIst' Of August 1866 that
there is no evidence that John and Lawrence
VINO emlgrated were the John and Lawrence
tne Sous OF Lawrence who died In 1915 or that
they came from this country, and that there IL
strong presumptive evidence against the
Identity. Unfortunately, Bakers pedigree has
been accepted by nearly all inquirers from his
DAY TO the present IL was only a coincidence
that a John and Lawrence Washington of the
Sulgrave family existed at about the same
period as another john and Lawrence WASH
ington emigrated to America
IL Is needless here to go into the question OF
the relative claims of the Lancashire and
Northamptonshlre branches of the family OF
John Washington of Whitfield. Each has its
champions and its defenders. There are. how
ever many both in America and in England
who believe that George Washington's imme.
dlate ancestors were Northamptonshire people
Time has told somewhat on this monument
OF Lawrence and Amy Washington, and liz il
also to be regretted, the hand Of the thief as
well. The head of Lawrence Washington has
been knocked of; the brass efhgy of his wife
has been STOLEN and taken away bodily and the
enamel with which the coat of arms WAS coll
ored has crumbled nearly all away, leaving
scarce trace behind. The two portions re-
Gently taken away those representing the
mi sons and VII daughters Each OF these
pieces could be covered by sheet Of note
paper. We may add that on the Sulgrave brass
the family name is spelled Washington such
a
TO the contrary Notwithstanding. In the
Northampton grammar school deeds the name
OF this same Lawrence is spelled Washington.
Hudson, in his ''Brasses of Northamptonshire
gives a reduced fac-simile OF the brasses bud
as Sir Henry Dryden points out. he omitted to
copy the coat of arms. Probably. however
that was due to the fact that the arms were
originally colored or enameled, and the palms.
taking author did not consider that a painted
memorial should be included in q work ON
brasses.
Rubbings Of the brasses are still in existence,
and we understand that the police investi-
eating the matter. The theft of these interest-
ing memorials of SO famous a race will be a Sc
rious archaeological loss to the country, for
there seems to be little hope Of their recovery.
Written for the EVENING STAR
Across the Way.
When dawn was lighting the rosy heaven,
AT four in summer, In winter seven,
Ere Phebus glowed,
Or yet the city had turned In its bed,
There by the window with needle and thread,
She sat and sewed.
And as the hand so bus ly piled.
baby boy played soft by her side
The whole day long:
And sad and sweet In the evening mild
We're heard the voices Of mother and child
In gentle song.
Mid toll and trouble and dire despair,
The child's smile solaced the mothers care
Thro' dreary years: