A THRILL FOR AMERICANS
Two Stripes and Three Stars with the Cross of the Washingtons
In the little church of Wickhamford near Evesham, in the most rural, unchanged part of England, is a shrine to which no American can repair without a thrill to the centre of his being, says a writer in the International. There, on the north side of the altar, is a tombstone on which are carved the Washington arms – two stripes and three stars – an eagle springing out of an antique coronet. The Latin inscription on the tomb is to Penelope Washington. The translation is as follows:
Sacred to the memory of Penelope, daughter of that most distinguished and renowned soldier, Col Henry Washington. He was descended from Sir William Washington, Knight of the county of Northampton, who was high in favour with those most illustrious princes and best of kings, Charles I and Charles II, on account of his gallant and successful military achievements, both in England and Ireland. He married Elizabeth of the ancient and noble stock of the Packingtons of Westwood, a family of untarnished loyalty and patriotism. Springing from such famous ancestry, Penelope was a diligent and devout worshipper of God. To her mother (her only surviving parent) she was a great consolation. To the sick and needy she was an exceptionally ready and generous benefactress. Humble and chaste, and wedded to Christ alone, from this transitory life she departed to her spouse, Feb 27, Anno Domini 1697.
In a little church not very generally known, the “Little Trinity”, in the Minories, London, are to be seen the same “Stars and Stripes” of the old Washington family. They appear on one or more of the Dartmouth monuments, with which family the Washingtons were connected by marriage.