The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1914-02-21

been located in Durham, one of the
northern counties of England. From
Durham the family migrated to Lan-
cashire. Then We find them settling in
Northhamptonshire. From Northamp-
tonshire the great grandfather Of Wash
ington emigrated to America in or
about A. D. 1867. Northampton then
invites our attention as the scene of the
varying vicissitudes that eliminated in
the emigration of Laurence Washing
ton to Virginia.
For three generations the Washing
tons lived in Northapmpton where they
made more then one alliance with the
nobility. The uncle Of the first histori-
cal Laurence was Sir Thomas Kitson,
one of the great merchants who in the
reign of Henry VII and Henry VIII de-
veloped the wool trade of England. The
trade depended on home growth for a
regular supply; the creation of sheep
farms, therefore became necessity for
a constant supply to meet the demands
of the merchants; and the midland
counties became the theatre OF the
great sheep-rearing farms. Northamp-
tonshire and Leicestershire excelling 10
the production of the staple commodity.
Laurence Washington, a barrister by
profession, on the solicitation of Sir
Thomas left Lancashire for Northamp-
tonshire to superintend his uncle's
sheep farms, develop the industry and
conduct all transactions with the sheep
farmers, for which his legal knowledge
amply qualified him.
Althorp in Brington parish was the
seat of the Spencers, and the Spencers
were connected by marriage with the
Kitsons, a daughter of Laurence Wash
ington's uncle and therefore a first
cousin to Laurence was Lady Spencer
OF that day.
The rector of Brington, the Rev. DR..
Leyton, became a friend of Laurence
through the Spencers, and as DR.. Ley
ton was Cromwell's prime commissioner
for the dissolution of the monasteries,
he had it in his power to help his friend .
And he did help Laurence Washington
by the grant of Sulgraye, where the
Washingtons lived for three generations.
At the end of the third generation
the Washingtons failed, SO they sold
Sulgrave and went toIliye in Brington.
Here the elder son married half sister
of George Villiers, Duke OF Bucking-
ham, and the star of the Washingtons
was again in the ascendasx
The emigrant, who was knighted by
James /, spent his young d: VS. in Bring
ton, and in the parish chnseassv here are
two -opaioslre stoDes 81 j / ssssSsye a1leer-
est to every American. One with the
date A. D. 1916 is over the grave of the
emigrant's father. On it appears his
arms 'impaled" NTH those OF his wife.
The second stone covers the grave of
an uncle, and on brass is the simple
family shield with the extraneous cres-
cent appropriate to younger son. But
that which is of transcendent interest is
that here on the tombstone of the dead
is emblazoned emblems sacred to great
nation and which thrill the soul of a
mighty people-the embryo of the Ma
tional flag, the Stars and Stripes. The
stars on the shield have this popularity
that they are fve-pointed, whereas six
points are the general characteristics of
heraldic stars. On the coat of arms are
three stars and two horizontal bars or
zones with alternate gules and white
gules being the word in heraldry form
ed-in a vertical position. Here we
have the nucleus, 'sthe fons ct origo" of
the National Flag.
Some years ago during vacation,
wac located in a parish contiguous to
Brington. What source of gratihca-
tion was here, to visit Gods Acre-to
stand by the ashes of the dead; to med
itate upon the origin of the flag; to de-
light in the discovery of its hidden SYM
bolism-- and oft to recall the lines of
Cowper's hymn,
"God moves in mysterious way,
"His wonders to perform"