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Our Washington Link
Three red stars above two red
bands on a white shield are the charges on the Washington family coat of
arms and the model for the American Flag:
 The Washington Window, containing the Heraldic arms of the Washington family,
is to be found in the south clerestory window of the choir and is the
original fourteenth century glass. When Glover the Herald visited Selby in
1584~5 he described the escutcheon as 'Argent, two bars and in chief three
mullets pierced, gules'. The shield is white with two red bars across and
three red mullets (spur-rowels) in chief each with a hole in the centre.
This piercing is necessary to the true representation of the Washington
mullets. At Great Brington in Northamptonshire, where the first President's
ancestors formerly dwelt the Arms are also represented with pierced mullets,
the colours being identical with Selby though the shield is much smaller.
In 1891 Harpers magazine
showed two seals and a book-plate used by Washington which are virtually
exact replicas of the Wessington family coat of arms.
The Washington shield at Selby
probably represents some kind of benefaction made to the Abbey to
commemorate John Wessington, Prior of Durham (1416~1446) the most
distinguished collateral ancestor of George Washington. John Wessington made
important additions to Hemmingborough church which was a collegiate under
Durham. Beneath the battlement of the tower at Hemmingborough is a
succession of washing tubs or tuns ...... a rebus of the priors name.
 The Reverend Dr JS Littell in
his book 'George Washington: Christian' says; 'The decorated choir of seven
bays,--the knave has eight --is unsurpassed for loveliness, and Americans
should be proud to know that the finest example of the Washington Arms has
such a beautiful and appropriate setting'. The Washington Shield is thought
to form the basis of the modern day American flag.
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