The Washington herald., 1911-08-21
Plan to Purchase Washington's
Ancestral Home Is Reviewed

hear that a renewed effort is to be
made by some patriotic Americans to
purchase Sulgrave Manor, I'M Northamp-
tonshire, the ancestral home of George
Washington. A movement has been
started in New York to celebrate in
1915 the centenary of peace between
Britain and the United States, and 1t
is believed that the acquisition of q
house so full of interest to all Amer
leans would form a fitting part of that
celebration.
The first plan included not only the
purchasing of the property but of re-
moving the house bodily and re-erect-
ing 1t in New York City, but the own
ers absolutely declined to sell under
such conditions. Our English cousins
apprehend that taking the manor
house from its rural environments and
planting ii in the hustle and hustle OF
a great metropolis would destroy all
of its historic value; but that is sheer
nonsense, as the Americans no doubt
would place the old time mansion in a
peaceful rural neighborhood, even
going so far as to make the scenery
resemble closely the Northamptonshire
countryside.
Though Sulgrave Manor is fairly we'll
known, the number of Englishmen who
actually have visited it naturally is not
large. Northamptonshre is not a county
that specially attracts the summer tour
ist, though IL contains a number of
manor and country houses of remarkable
and historic interest. Sulgrave boasts
no station, and is a small village not
many miles from Brackley. The Wash
ingtOns appear to have come originally
from Lancashire. Laurence Washing
ton. the founder of the Northampton
shire branch. was mayor of Northamp-
ton in l532 and in 15i5. He received the
manor of Sulgrave on the dissolution of
the onSsterIes and built the manor
house. part of the building he erected
still survives, with a high gabled porch
over which are the Washington arms.
The Washington family did not remain
very long at Sulgrave, and they sold the
estate in 1910
The Washington arms contain A sug-
SestiOn of the famous Stars and
Stripes" for they consist of a white
shield with two red stripes, and at the
top three red stars. These arms are
to be seen not only over the porch at
Sulgrave Manor, but in the village
church. There Laurence Washington and
his wife Amy lie buried. The tomb is
covered by a slab of gray stone which
originally bore six brasses, of which
three only remain, and these imperfect
The inscription mentions that the pair
had four sons and seven daughters.
Although the Washingtons did not long
remain settled at Sulgrave Manor, yet
they continued to reside in the county
OF Northamptonshre. Robert and Lau
renee. the son and grandson of Lau-
renee Washington, of Sulgrave. migrated
in the early years of the seventeenth
century to Little Brington. a small ham,
let. close to Althorp Park, the seat of
the celebrated Spencer family. Wash
ington'S house is still shown, a small
house OF sandstone, which bears over
the doorway the pious inscription, The
Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away,
Blessed be the name of the Lord. Con-
structa 1905. This is probably an al
lusion to the fact that at that time the
fortunes of the family had declined, and
that the home at Brington seems TO
have been offered them by Lord Spen-
Ger. of Wormleighton, who was connect
ed with the Washingtons.
Laurence Washington lies buried in
Brington Church, where there is
memorial to him in the chancel. which
records that he had eight sons and nine
daughters. One of these sons was the
Rev. Laurence Washington. who be-
came a fellow OF Brasenose College and