page_title: Coat of arms of the Washington family
hierarchical_section_title: Coat of arms of the Washington family
caption_attribution_description: English: George Washington’s bookplate
context_page_description: The coat of arms of the Washington family was first used to identify the family in the 12th century, when the Washington family took possession of Washington Old Hall in County Durham, England before making its way to the Colony of Virginia in the 17th century with George Washington's great-grand-father.
  The design has been used since 1938 as the basis for the coat of arms and flag of the District of Columbia. It is also found on the Purple Heart.
  These elements have also been said to have inspired the "stars and stripes" design of the Flag of the United States. However, despite some visual similarity, there is "little evidence" or "no evidence whatsoever" to support the claimed connection. The Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington, published by the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon, calls it an "enduring myth" backed by "no discernible evidence." Instead, the story seems to have originated in the 1876 play Washington: A Drama in Five Acts, by the English poet Martin Farquhar Tupper, and was further popularized through repetition in the children's magazine St. Nicholas.
context_section_description: The coat of arms of the Washington family was first used to identify the family in the 12th century, when the Washington family took possession of Washington Old Hall in County Durham, England before making its way to the Colony of Virginia in the 17th century with George Washington's great-grand-father.
  The design (three red stars over two horizontal red bars on a white field) has been used since 1938 as the basis for the coat of arms and flag of the District of Columbia.  It is also found on the Purple Heart.
  These elements have also been said to have inspired the "stars and stripes" design of the Flag of the United States. However, despite some visual similarity, there is "little evidence" or "no evidence whatsoever" to support the claimed connection. The Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington, published by the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon, calls it an "enduring myth" backed by "no discernible evidence." Instead, the story seems to have originated in the 1876 play Washington: A Drama in Five Acts, by the English poet Martin Farquhar Tupper, and was further popularized through repetition in the children's magazine St. Nicholas.
caption: George Washington bookplate
exif: {}