The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-26
the of Washngtons Waron Church


IDENTIFY settled down in the county of Dur
ham as wen as In North Lancashire. The
first of them recorded in the history of
the County Palatine, as Lancashire Is
called was named Robert, and was the
son and heir of Robert de Washington,
lord or Milburne, while the first Washing
ton TO hold land in Warton bore the
name of John. He first is mentioned i'll
1886, or nearly 200 years before Sulgrave
hall was built, when he married Alianora,
the daughter and heiress of John, de War
ton His grandson went with Henry V.
to France and was wounded at Agincourt,
in 14i5, and a son of this warrior lived
at Tuwhitfeld and died there in Decem-
ber. 1854
This was the founder of the line from
which both the builder of Sulgrave Hall
and the first President of the United
States sprang.n says Pape, and it was
most likely he who built the church tow
er at Warton and whose arms are EN-
blazoned on the wall outside. For, writ
ing in 1710. a local historian named Lucas
said, on the north side of the steepel
door is the arms of Washington (argent
two bars gules in chief three mullets of
the second, with crescent for differ
ence). well cut in stone, which shows this
family tyet credible i'm this town to have
been mostly concerned in the founding of
this church.
For years or end, it seems. this shield
was hidden from view, all the outside of
the church being covered with rough
cast" or plaster, and it was believed TO
have disappeared forever, but in 1881,
some of the rough cast outside the tower
fell off. and the long lost shield of the
Washingtons was exposed to view. It's
exact measurements are 9ia inches III
height and inches in width.
Strangely enough. most of the compar-
atvely few Americans who visit Warton
content themselves with an examination
OF the arms on the church tower and a
visit to the grave OF the last of the War
ton Washingtons, and go on their way
rejoicing, obliyious, apparently, of the
fact that another nightly interesting
sight remains unvsited. This is the
Washington House. which, though
comparatively modern building as they
reckon time in Warton, has built into it,
according to Lancashire custom, the
date stones of the ancient homes of
the Washington family in the village.
The front of this house, which is-a fairly
large one, close to the local postoffice,
is almost covered with ivy but around
the two historical stones, the growth of
| the vine has been checked These stones
are placed high up between the second
| story windows on either side of the CEN
trail doorway. They bear the date 1912
and the initials "R. w. S." the "W,"
being supposed to denote Washington, the
! r. Robert and the IS" being the mi
| tial of the owners wife.
| Now certain Robert Washington of
| Warton. son of Leonard, made a will In
1888 and as ii was probated in the same
| year he must have made it at the time
of his last illness He beoueaths land
! in Warton to Robert Washington. son
unto Robert Washington which Robert
was son unto Lawrence Washington, his
(the testator's uncle). So most likely the
dated stones relate to one of these two
| Roberts mentioned in the will. Which one
| of them married a woman whose name
| began with IS" the antiquaries have nor
been able TO discover
| The last member of the Washington
| fanny to live at Warton was the Rev
Thomas Washington who Is believed to
have been born in the Washington house
and who became curate of Warton in l779
and vicar of the village i'm 1880 When
he died in 1928 or A years after the father
of his country had breathed his last on
the other side of the Atlantic the line of
the Washingtons at Warton became ex-
tinct. There is no slab inside the church
btdTHB the name OF washington. but
! underneath the east window We find a
tombstone with this double inscription:
Mrs.
Elizabeth Washington.
June the 18th, l751.
Thomas Washington.
| Glorious hujus Ecclesiae Vicarius
Obit die Septimae Feby.,
MDCCCXXIII actatis.
Suae ammo Saxagesimo mono.
So 1t is easy to see why the good folk
of Warton feel that their village should