Coat of arms of George Washington
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Arms of the head of the Washington Family

Selby Abbey

The coat of arms of George Washington, President of the United States of America from 1789 to 1797, were first used to identify the family in the twelfth century, when one of George Washington's ancestors took possession of Washington Old Hall, then in County Durham, in north-east England.

The Washington Window in Selby Abbey, in the British market town of Selby, contains a variant of the Washington coat of arms in the original 14th century stained glass. It is thought to be a benefaction to the abbey to commemorate John Wessington, Prior of Durham (1416–1446).

The Washington coat of arms can also be seen at the huge parish church in Garsdon, near Malmesbury, Wiltshire, where a branch of the family moved in Tudor times. A Washington memorial accompanies it.[1]

The design is often said to have inspired the Stars and Stripes and is used today as the coat of arms and flag of the District of Columbia.

The simple blazon is:

"Argent two bars Gules in chief three mullets in fess of the second."

External links

• The Washington Window in Selby Abbey
• Wiltshire History Centre, records of Washington Memorial, Garsdon.[1]