Northamptonshire & George Washington, President of the United States of America

The Washington family coat of arms can be seen in stained glass panels inside the
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Fawsley. Photo by Chris Raven

When walking through the stunning British countryside surrounding Fawlsey Hall in Northamptonshire, the last thing you would expect to stumble across is history relating to George Washington, President of the United States of America.

Inside the 12th Century Church of St Mary the Virgin stained glass windows glow against the sunlight. These glass panels are the original coat of arms of the Washington family. One of the panels has a design (three red stars over two horizontal red bars on a white field) that is said to have inspired the Stars and Stripes flag. This coat of arms was used by George Washington in 1789 to 1797.

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