
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 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 link
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The Washington Window in Selby Abbey