San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-25
WASHINGTON WAS IRISH.

To the Editor.
l have waited for about three weeks
before writing this letter in order TO
give Others the opportunity of entering
the lists for the preservation of the
purity of American History, and l
must say that some patriots who have
recently cluttered your pages with
words" overlooked II golden oppor-
tunity, l refer to the Anglo; Ameri-
can" celebration recently in honor Of
Sulgraye Manor alleged Ancestral
Home of the Father of our Country,
George Washington"
The facts are:
G There is a Sulgrave Manor.
60 A Washington did at one time
live there.
Co George WGshington's Forbears
cannot be uSced TO it.
ST. Andrews ptiory. Sulsrave.
No. championships. England. was es-
| taOlisAcd as Il religious institution in
/ the year 1lSS, ana 50 remained until
/ the year 1888 when it was plundcred
by Henry VIII and conveyed by
patent TO one Lawrence Washington
Of Wharton in Lancashire, and an
advocate at the middle Temple LoE-
| don. Tor the sum of three hundred
pounds in money. This patent may
/ lie seen in the Bollcian Library OF
Oxford.
Lawrence evidently mortSaged the
manor TO raise tie three hundred for
we find his son Robert gave up the
property in 1906 to the mortgage.
| Robert Washington the son was b.
| friended by the famous Earl Spencer
who offered him shelter at Little
Brington where the family resided for
| four several generations, the last OF
record being the Rev. Laurence, a
Church of England clergyman. who
was pastor OF the church at Purleigh
in Essex. but who was buried in the
fine old church of st. Mary in Little
Brington.
The first Washington of written
record is England was that Lawrence
TO whom was given the Manor Of Sui
grave His family held it fer G6 years
on mortgage. and then surrendered II
TO the mortgage holder. retired TO lit
tie Brington. where the record disar-
pears with Lawrence. the clergyman.
George Washington may be Of this
family, but il he was, it cannot be
proven. for the John and Lawrence
Washington who brought the name
70 America have no European record.
Tho record shows then that the
Washington who held Sulgrave never
did own il. that they lived there just
&C years and that no sort of n con-
nection can be established with our
George Washington. So much for the
merits of the claim OF Ancestral
Home of Washington's forbears."
Now then ye sons OF Erin, atten-
ton.
There was John Washington n
member OF the Irish Parliament dur
ing the reign of William and Mary
who had two brothers, James and
Augustine. one of whom went TO Eng
land and lost connection with the fam
lily. George Washington's father was
named Augustine-there was Wash
ington of the same stock member of
Grattan's famous Irish Parliament
and he is recorded as visiting "his
cousins in England" Irish historians
trace the Washingtons to a Flemish
family named De Washington who
settled in Athlone. ireland.
Once more. Washington's mothers
name was Ball. and her fathers father
was that William Ball whom the
British government ran out of his
native home in Cork. Ireland. because
he was a rebel against the said gov
eminent. History records that Wash
ineton's mother was intensely anti
British. So much for Hands across
the sea" propaganda.
PATRICK F.. O'HARA.