T H E W A SH I N G T O N

AND

FRANKLIN CO U NTR"

Northam ptonshire , England.

A R WN F. L. . I ALD w. B O By REG N ,

Northampton DM AN ARCHER GOO ,

36-42 We n ton S treet . , lli g

CO NTENTS.

Introduction

The An cestral Home of the Washingtons i

’ Washington s Ancestr y

Great Brington

Little Brington

The Washington Pedigree

The Spencer Pedigree

The Ancestral Home of the Franklins

Northampton

to and Routes Sulgrave , Brington , Ecton

LIST OF ILLU STRA TIONS.

George Washington

n t Washingt on House , Little Bri g on Sulgrave Manor House Sulgrave Manor House (before restoration)

t Lawrence Washington Slab , Bring on Church

Sulgr ave Church

Thatched Cottages , Sulgrave Great Brington Church

The Cross , Brington

Washington House , Little Brington (rear View)

Outside Arch , Great Brington Church

Doorway , Great Brington Church Althorp House

Sulgrave Church 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Benjamin Franklin Ecton The Home of the Franklins

F ’ F ’ ranklin s ather s Birthplace , Ecton Ecton Church Ecton Font Great Brington Font

Oak Room , Abington Museum

Pulpit and Lectern , Great Brington Church t Spencer Monument , Great Bring on Church

The Was hington a nd Fra nklin

Country.

N introducing the American Visitor to the

Washington and Franklin country , it is

felt that no apology is needed , because the number of Visitors from over the water to the homes of these two famous

Americans increases year by year . It is ,

however , thought desirable to present in a brief manner the main points of interest to those who are desirous of Visiting the chief places connected with

Washington and Franklin .

Northamptonshire is a delightful county , well wooded , hi full of storic associations , and proudly claims to have been the birthplace of the ancestors of two world - famous

Americans , George Washington , the first President of the

United States , and Benjamin Franklin , a statesman and leader of thought of almost equal fame .

Northamptonshi re has been called the County of Spires and Squires and the Nene valley churches are certainly a heritage of which the inhabitants may be justifiably proud . The leafy hedgerows possess a very real charm of their own and the rolling country dotted here and there with noble spi res appeals to all who love a beautiful

English landscape .

Page Nine The A nces tra l Home of the

Was hingtons .

HE ancestral home of the Washingtons is

at Sulgrave , a village in the heart of rural

Northamptonshire . Its straggling old e world main str et with thatched cottages ,

makes a charming picture , and the visitor

instinctively feels remote from civilisation . The village is seventeen miles from

Northampton . Sulgrave Church has little of historic interest but contains the Washington pew . The Church is in the perpendicular style and stands at the top of the hill . Three of the brasses from the Washington tomb were lost but i have recently been restored to their former posit on . The original owner of the Manor House (Lawrence Washington) rests beneath a slab of Hornton stone bearing the following inscription

l eth Here y buried ye bodies of Laurence Washington , t w f Gen ; and Amee his y , by whom he had issue , four sons 1 4 and seven daughters . Oct . , th ,

In the same vault is buried Robert Washington , the son and heir .

i Recently a screen , the g ft of American women , was unveiled in Sulgrave Church . Not many years ago the Manor House looked like a farmhouse , but since its purchase by the British Peace 4 Centenary Committee , in 1 9 1 , it has been lovingly restored and suitably furnished with objects relating to the

Washingtons . It was handed over to the Sulgrave Institution who are responsible for making it into the

- beautiful place it is to day . The formal dedication and

Page Ten Pag e E l ev en Page Twe lv e Page T hi rte en "OF AW NC W S NGTON B A ING THE SL A B IN M EM OR L RE E A HI , E R

B NGTON C U C . FA M IL"COA T OF ARM S ( STAR S AND B ARS) . RI H R H

Page F our teen presentation of Sulgrave Manor As a rallying centre for all who wish to promote friendship and understanding i ” between the Br tish and American people , took place on t June l , 1 92 1 .

V SU LGRA E CHU RCH . " ro an old r nt ( f m p i ) .

The Articles of Agreeme nt of the Sulgrave Institution include the following :

For fostering friendship and preventing mi sunder standing between the American and British peoples , and for the production of peaceful intercourse amongst the nations .

To elucidate , explain and interpret questions of common interest , in public address and in printed publica tion To bring together in a closer community of interest those societies , associations and individuals that are engaged in any work which tends towards an understanding

- - i nsti tu of Anglo Saxon Celtic culture , laws and related tions To aid in upholding and maintaining the funda mental institutions oi the English - speaking world and in

fostering the ideals which inspired their creation .

Page Fifteen The Manor stands well away from the road and is i pleasantly situated . Entrance is obta ned through a court yard , and passing into the Dining Room on the right the visitor is immedi ately struck by the general arrangement , with its great open fire - place and its mullioned windows containing coats of arms . This room , divided into two ff until recently , had its partition removed with great e ect . It is now suitably furnished and contains a collection of relics mostly presented by admirers of Washington . The staircase , with spiral oak balusters , is worthy of notice . The bedroom has been restored and contains a handsome four post Jacobean bedstead , presented by the Stars and w Stripes Club of Manchester , ith a charming contemporary

- needle work quilt given by Mrs . Leggatt , the mother of the

Countess of Sandwich . Inside the porch leading from the

Dining Room to the garden are the Royal Tudor arms , represented by the Lion and the Dragon . Over the door way is an almost obliterated shield in plaster with the family arms . On the gable end above are the Tudor Royal Arms , with the lilies of France and the lions of England , quartered w ithin a garter , and supported by the lion and the winged ffin gri or dragon . Over the arms are embossed the Tudor R rose and French lily and the letters E . . (the Royal mono gram of Elizabeth) .

s andri ll In the right p of the arch of the main doorway , are the Washington arms— two bars in the lower part and above them three mullets or stars . From these famous shields is supposed to have originated the inspiration of the stars and stripes . It must be of absorbing interest to Americans visiting the Washington country to find the n R arms which were taken as the e sign for the New epublic , r carved over the ent ance of the Sulgrave Manor House .

The gardens have been planned in old - world style which provides a charm ing setting for this delightful Tudor house . They were laid out under the supervision of the

Countess of Sandwich , and have greatly improved the appearance of the Manor , which no longer looks like a farm house . The space occupied by the gardens was previously

two fields which were included in the purchase . Sir

Pag e S ix te en Reginald Blomfield was the architect responsible for the restoration of the house . An additional wing has been built to the west of the south entrance .

A new room , formerly the Breakfast Room , which is oak panelled , was opened recently and forms a most inter esting addition to the house . The armorial glass in the windows in the Dining Room

out is original , being six of eight which were removed when part of the house was demolished . Two of the i orig nals went to Weston Manor House near by .

WA’ ’ n e v i/E W W V

e Most of the furniture , which is of the p riod , was

purchased under the direction of Lady Lee of Fareham .

Other interesting pieces are gifts from friends , including

Mr . Pierpont Morgan , the Lady Bridges , Lady Sackville ,

etc .

Hanging over the fire - place in the Dining Room i s a valuable contemporary portrait of George Washington by

Pag e S eventeen " G MoOre hi h was s d M F h M r ilbert , w c pre ente by iss ait oo e ,

sister to Lady Lee of Fareham . In a corridor adjoining the Dining Room is a remark

ably fine bust of George Washington in a tasteful setting ,

the gift of the American people . This study in bronze is a particularly beautiful piece of work by Frank Ordway

- Partridge , the well known sculptor, and is after the

Houdon life mask . It was unveiled by Mr . John A . t 1 2 1 Stewart , on June l , 9 . Lawrence Washington rented the messuage at Sulgrave ’ — of the priory of St . Andrew s , Northampton previous to 1 the dissolution in 53 9 . At the dissolution he bought the property of the dissolved priory together with other lands n in Sulgrave and the district , and u der Letters Patent , h 1 l ot 539 . dated March , , became a landed proprietor

The Manor House as it stands to - day is the relic of the 1 house that Lawrence Washington acquired soon after 53 9 .

Part of the building was taken down about 1 789 . The occupation of the house by the direct ancestors of George Washington came to an end with the death of 1 Robert in 1 6 9 . Tradition has it that "ueen Elizabeth hid in the closet at the top of the staircase while engaged in a game of hide

- and seek during a Visit to the Manor House , when Robert

she Washington was living there . It is supposed that

stayed there during one of her royal progresses . The

royal coat - of - arms was only granted as a favour to those

residences which entertained royalty .

Pag e E ighte en

Page Twen ty Pag e Tw e nty- O ne Page Tw en ty- Tw o ’ n Washi gton s A nces try.

HERE is extensive literature upon the

subject , but the most important publica tion about George Washington ’ s English

F . ancestors is the article by Henry . 1 889 Waters , printed in , in the New England Historical and Genealogical

Register entitled , An Examination of the English Ancestors of George Washington , setting forth the evidence to connect him with the Washingtons of ” rin ton Sulgrave and B g . l Until that was printed it was not definitely known from which part of England the emigrant ancestor of George Washington had sprung . It was known that John and Lawrence Washington had V emigrated from England to irginia , but their home in

England and their parents were not known . It was also known that John Washington was the great - grandfather of the first President of the United State s of America . When George Washington was asked about his ancestry he remarked It is a subject to which I confess I have ” paid little attention . This attitude was directly opposite b to that adopted y Franklin , who took minute pains to obtain all the information he could relating to his family .

Lawrence Washington , who settled in Northampton in the early part of the sixteenth century , was the son of

John Washington of Warton in Lancashire , his mother , K Margaret , being a sister of Sir Thomas itson , Alderman ff of the City of London , and of Hengrave Hall , Su olk .

Lawrence , the eldest son of a family of five sons and one ' f hi ’ daughter , was entered , by the advice o s uncle , at Gray s "

Inn as a student of the law . The fact that his uncle had amassed great wealth as a wool stapler may have influenced Lawrence who decided to forsake studying the law and

“ ” b The Wa s h n ton m ran and he r are nts b T a e E ts t . 1 i g ig i P , y P p , ’ ” B A T er u r . . l s art e l s tor cal anuar 1 23 , y " y Hi i , J y, 9 .

Page Twenty- T hre e d the i f i N starte in same l ne o bus ness . orthampton was at

i W001 that t me an important centre of the Industry , and l the hides of sheep , or their c ippings were sent close to the local Market Square —Woolmonger Street reminding us of

- the industry . One of the great wool growers in the district was Sir John Spencer who at one time was reputed to have possessed no less than sheep . Lawrence was a cousin of the Spencers , Sir John having married Sir Thomas Ki ’ tson s daughter Catharine . Lawren ce married the widow of a Willi am Goffe who had been one of the bailiffs of

1 1 4 . 5 . Northampton , in The Rev . H Isham Longden ,

— a M . A . , Rector of Nether Heyford descendant of a collateral of the Washington Family— recently made some interesting di scoveries, which he has published in book l fl form . He found that Wil iam Go e was a man of some wealth , having properties not only in Northampton but in the town and neighbourhood of Higham Ferrers . This connection finds confirmation in the recent di scovery at the

Northampton Public Library of a seal - tab belonging to an old and nearly contemporary deed His will , dated h 1 28 l ff 20t August , 5 , left his widow , E izabeth Go e , (his

ff . second wife) , well o Other documentary evidence indi

24th 1 530- 1 cates that between that date and March , , widow Gofie had become the first wife of Lawrence h r Was ington . Her death without issue , must have occur ed , 1 43 Mr . Longden thinks, before 5 , as it was about this time that Lawrence married again . It will be , therefore , a short time after his first marriage that he was elevated to the Mayoralty of the Borough of Northampton ( 1 53 2 In

- 1 545 6 he was a second time elevated to the Mayoralty . In the upper corridor of the Northampton Town Hall is an almost complete series of badge - shaped tablets bearing the 1 3 7 names of the Mayors from 7 , and American visitors are always interested to see the two Washingt on badges .

1 - 40 - It was in 539 , during the life time of his first wife , that Lawrence Washington , on the dissolution of the monasteries , received a grant from the Crown of the Manor of Sulgrave . The Manor belonged to the Priory of St .

for Andrew , Northampton , and Lawrence bought it

Pag e Twenty- Four £3 2 1 1 43 . 1 0d . , after having rented it as a tenant for six

. r i years or more His second wife was Amee Pag ter, the daughter of Robert Pargi ter of the neighbouring parish of — Greatworth . By her he had eleven children four sons

. 1 5 4 and seven daughters She died in 6 , and he erected ’ a monumental brass to her memory , in St . James Parish i 1 84 Church , Sulgrave . Lawrence d ed in 5 being succeeded by his son Robert , but by this time the family fortunes had become embarrassed and the estate was sold in 1 6 1 0 to Laurence Makepeace , of the Inner Temple , London , and nephew of the latter .

Page Twenty- Five Great Brington .

URING a visit to Sulgrave in 1 6 1 9 Robert

died , and was buried there . His son ,

e Lawrence , and a younger broth r ,

Robert , removed to Brington before their ’ shelterm father s death , under the g

patronage of their powerful relations , the 1 6 1 6 Spencers . Lawrence died in , and 1 2 Robert and his wife in 62 . Over the grave of each in ’ n s e ulchural St . Mary s Church , Bri gton , is a p slab , bearing 1 n the Washington arms . This Lawrence has 7 childre

' the fifth of whom was a son , another Lawrence , who became a Fellow of Brasenose College , Oxford , and sub sequently Rector of Purleigh in Esse x ( 1 63 2 He was

- 1 4 1 2 . ejected therefrom in 6 3 , and died in January , 65 3 V Two of his sons , John and Lawrence , emigrated to irginia in or about 1 657 . There are several reasons why the young Washingtons should seek their fortunes beyond the seas; loyalists and enthusiastic supporters of the Royal cause as the family had been , the intolerance of the Puritans afiorded them no hopes of advancement in the old country , and they already had friends in Virginia . From John descended a son , Lawrence , and a grandson (Augustine)

' hi con — who married for s se d wife , Mary Ball a descendant ’ a forme r V of icar of All Saints , Northampton ; and their eldest son was George Washington (born 1 1 th February

old s t le 1 73 2 1 4 D 1 79 ( y ) died th ecember , 9) the

Generalissimo of the American Revolution , the Father ” of his country , and the first President of the U . S . A .

The church of Great Brington stands on high ground , from which on the east side can be seen vast stretches of undulating country , extending on one side towards

I . n Holdenby , once a royal residence of James , in connectio wi th which the episode of Com et Joyce is well known . The episode is told at great length and with careful detail i n

Page Twenty- S ix

Page Tw en ty- E ight Pag e Tw e nty- Ni ne Page T hir ty ’ Major Whyte - Melville s novel Holmby House On the south - east side can be seen the well - wooded park land of

Althorp .

The preaching cross ( 1 300) probably stands on the site of an Older cross , erected in remembrance of the first preaching of the Christian faith . It is on a green mound e under a large tre close to the church gates , and together

ol - with the church makes a delightful d world picture .

i Like Br xworth , this church was probably built by the

Danes . The foundation stones , worn and reddened by fire ,

Th e probably belonged to this early church . e tower dat s 1 2 1 2 from 00, and the north aisle from 2 6 . The pew ends are worth special notice , those in the centre aisle being made in 1 1 50. The Spencer Chapel is full of beautiful memorials to a notable family . Sir Robert Spencer (died 1 627) the friend and benefactor of the Washingtons , created first Baron

Spencer of Wormleighton by James I . lies here . The church contains the tomb of the first Sir John i Spencer , who , by his marr age with Catharine , the daughter t n of Sir Thomas Ky so , allied himself with the Washingtons of Warton , Lancashire . There is also a tomb of Sir John

a - Spencer , grandson of the first Sir John , himself a life long friend of Lawrence Washingt on of Sulgrave .

fl In the Ai sle at Great Brington Church , in the oor , is 1 22 a brass to Robert and Elizabeth Washington , 6 , bearing the following inscri ption

Here lies interred ye bodies of Eli zab . Washington Widdowe who changed this life for imort alliti e

"e 1 th 9 of March , As also ye body of Robert

Washington , gent . , her late husband second

ol rav e Sonne of Robert Washington of S g , in ye

r de ted County of North , Esq . , who p this life ye h 1 622 l ot of March , , after they lived lovingly together

many yeares in this parish . In the chancel between the north pews is the tomb of

Lawrence Washington , the ancestor of George Washington .

Page Thir ty- One His arms are impaled with those of his wife (Butler , three ’ A l butler s covered cups) . rep ica of this tomb is in the

Doric Hall at Washington , U . S . A . Here lies the Body of Lawrence

Washington some and beire of

ul rav e Robert Washington of So g ,

In the counti e of Northampton

Esqui er who married Margaret The eldest daughter of William

Butler of Tees in the counti e

Of Sussex e e squi er who had issu

By her 8 sonns and 9 daughters Which Lawrence deceased the 1 3 1 A D . 1 6 6 Of Dec . Thou that by chance or choyce Of this hast sight Know life to death resignes

As day to night; But as the sunns retorne e Reviv s the day , So Christ shall us

Though turned to dust and clay .

h A modern pew , with the Was ington arms , stands ’ almost in the position of Robert Washington s old pew .

’ It was not until 1 889 that George Washington s con necti on with the Washingtons of Brington and Sulgrave could be proved , Washington himself could only vaguely give the county of his forbears as Lancashire or some northern county , and the Lancashire Washingtons were traced to Warton in that county .

Mr . Henry Waters came over from America specially to collect what information he could gather , and he and

- of Sir Henry Dryden , Bart . the well known antiquary

Page Thirty- Two h i h Mr i T . . G e hb t . s Canons As y , toget er w J eorge , omet m

Curator of the Northampton Museum , had the joy of unravelling , item by item , these tangled skeins of pedigree . They were able to prove definitely that the Sulgrave Washingt ons were directly descended from the Lancashire n family , and that the line went on u broken to the Brington and American families .

The ancestors of Warren G . Harding , sometime

President of the also lived at Sulgrave .

Page T hirty- Three Little Brington.

HE house at Little Brington where Robert and Elizabeth Washington lived after having to leave Sulgrave Manor

stands flush with the road . It has an inscription on a stone tablet over the

main doorway . It runs

The Lord geveth

The Lord taketh . b away . Blessed e the

name of the Lord .

Constructa .

1 606 . w Robert Washington , a grandson of the first La rence , had the misfortune to lose his only child , hence the inscription . Some think it refers to the loss of their

’ money . Robert s brother Lawrence then occupi ed the

1 7 . house , having children

A sundial bearing the Washington crest and the date

1 6 1 7 , together with the following letters was found in $55. 9 a garden at Little Bringt on in 1 8 9 . The letters stand for

Washington , Robert and Elizabeth . The sundial is now at

Althorp House .

The Washingtons made their home at Brington for t some years after hey left the M anor House , and also at

Northampton . Lawrence Washington and his elder brothers were ’ regular guests at Althorp , Lord Spencer s beautiful home near Brington .

According to Lady Penelope Spencer ’ s housekeeping

1 2 - 1 2 book for the period 62 6 7 , three of the visitors at

r 4th 1 2 Althorp du ing the week ending October , 6 3 , were h Sir Richard Anderson , Sir Jo n Washington and Lawrence

Page Thirty- Four

The Descent of the Wa s hington Fa mily from the

Kytsons of Wa rton.

Ro ert K tson of art on L an . b y , W , cs " T

o n a h n t on 01 ar on L an r K t c . a are t tson. J h W s i g , W , s g y T M

L a re n e a n ton o f ra Inn a or o f Nort a ton ee or a ter u c W shi g , G ys , M y h mp Am , Amy , d ugh

1 532 and 1 54 5 . rant e e o f S l r v N a n u a e co . ort t . 3 0 enr of R o ert P ar ite r of G g , h s H y b g

III . 1 539 1 9 Fe b . 26 E i za et 1 5 3 B ra w Nort 8 SS reat ort co . V , ( ) died l b h ( G h . h i n ra e C r . a n s ie ct 1 564 . Sulg v hu ch t d d 6 O . 2 N D w ife .

a nd e r f r u . h i o Walte L ight

dwa co. arw. l s r w e . y, W if a es e 1 6 1 9—20 J m di d . ’ L aure nce Was hin ton of Ro ert a n t on of r n t on g Sul b W shi g , B i g : ra e a nd r n t on his s on 2 m: son h ad ea t a l ot t e t o hi m i n g v B i g , , , s s l d

re or a t . a nd b ur . a t r n ton C r i n 1 606 . n a G g y , b p B i g hu ch Su di l — r n ton in 1 6 06 7 . a not e r i o e re 1 899 at r n ton e ar B i g h d sc v d( ) B i g , b r w s on e or e a t . at o , G g , b p W m m a i i i i -— H g f m ly arms a nd n t als 1 08 . e e le ighton 3 A ug. 6 di d 31 3 D and was ur e a t 1 3 ec . b a nd at 1 1 7 e and r e at i d d e 6 . Di d bu i d

1 1 6 . on rin ton 1 5 Dec . 6 u r n on r 1 2 ar r e at B g M B i gt 1 1 Ma ch 6 2 . M i d enta in r t on on a b in p or ei t on 1 9 Feb . 1 595 E za m l sc i i sl W ml gh , , li floor of C an e rin ton . g et d au. of o n Chis h ull of ore h c l B b h , J h , M C ur . a l x w r co . E e sh e as e at h ch H l , ss bu i d

r n ton 2 0 a r 1 6 22 . on B i g M ch , M u ent a ra i n na e ri n t on m l b ss v , B g r " Chu ch . n a i n on fi t s on nt r Am The Rev . L awre ce t e e e hili s dau . of Roa e . W sh g , f h , d p , d s

Bras enos e Col e e . O x or . 1 6 1 9 ; B . A . 1 6 23 e ow r e at r n 1 9 an ar l g f d , F ll Bu i d T i g J u y , l 1 6 24 n ted t o Re to r of Pur 1 - o f t at Co ege , 0 u y 654 5 . h l i d c — c e h co . E e x 1 7 ar 1 6 23 4 e e t e t ere ro l ig , ss , M ch "c d h f m i n 1 6 43 ri e at P r e 2 1 an . bu d u l igh , J

Whin n nne a t r f Lawr n a in t n a t r n o n a t o orn e o e e o b . a J h s g . b A , d ugh c W sh g , p T i g. or 1 6 34 e ra te Nat anie Po e a 23 ne 1 635 e rat e t o r n a mig d h l p , Ju ; mig d Vi gi i l at a nt er wh h a 1 6 Vi rgi nia i n 1 657 ; Wi l d e d pl o d 6 6 or 1 6 6 7 .

1 6 75 rove 10 an . 1 677 . e mi r at e ro , p d J g d f m E n l a n a n g d . d widow roa r t 2 ND B dhu s ,

== on i e 1 697 . l re dau . of Col . t ne arner. L awren e a i n t . , ugu g _ Mi d d A s i W c W sh d d l

Wa n n r D wi t ne t o . M a a 2 N e Augus i shi g y B ll , f T

GE ORGE IN ON WASH GT . e de nt o the U n te tate 01 b l D c 1 7 . r re orn 1 1 Feb . old s t e 1 732 e 1 4 . 99 t P f ( y ) , di d Fi s si i d S s Ame rica .

f r b . nn s are r nte n e r on o Lo e e e re e the ate . C P E Th s p dig s y l T i y , q , p i d by ki d p missi d

e n e r who re e r e the o r t . Sp c , s v s c py igh

Page T hir ty- S ix The Descent of the Spencer Fa mily from the

Kytsons of Wa rton.

Robert K tson of arton Lanes . y , W ,

Sir o a K ts on of e n ra e a o a y , g , c . r aret on of o n o n n to n o f Th m s H v H ll M g , ly child J h D i g ,

u o KNT ie 1 1 e t . 1 540. to Ne w n ff , , e ton co . e e x e 1 56 1 S lk d d S p S k i g , Middl s , di d , 2N w D ife . I thar ne 2ND a te r rr a e Ka , ug ; a e tt e S ir o n en er of or e to n co i d h m i g s l J h Sp c , W ml igh , . arw a nd th or co Nor . t ant W ick , Al p , h s , KNT e 9 Nov 1 586 ; di d . .

“ 1 r 599 a dau. and e r of S ir By M y , h i U nto Ro ert Ca te n o r C e d b li , L d hi f E izabet a n ton the w e of Ro e rt a n t on o f t e of n an mar l h W shi g if b W shi g Jus ic E gl d ; .

reat r n ton in he Co . of Nort a ton in re ar of 1 1 e t 1 G B i g t h mp g"d S p . 566 . h er a ns abo t me in ne twe nt o n p i u my sick ss y p u ds .

' r n on r a KN o s e te aron en er ar are t dau . and coh of , ly c d B Sp c g , . ” M 1 603 . a n ton o e S i r ran VJillou hb o f July W shi g H us , F cis g y, i r n ton b t L tt e t 1 606 . e 25 Oc . 1 627 . o aton co . Nott KNI l B i g , uil Di d W ll , s , ; marri e d at Bringt on 1 5 Feb 58 . 1 7 e 1 3 Au , di d g . He r t er 1 597 . a sis , Abig il , we e 26 p r 1 601 at dd d A il , r n t on a Par ite r B i g , Willi m g

of reatwort E S d . G h , "[ 1 66 1 a cousin of the a n t on she was W shi g s , bur ied at Wormle ighton 12

Oct . 1 654 .

K . The a e ne o a e n r i a en er B . P e r e e e dau mar S r L t . . Willi m Sp c , dy l p M y Sp c ; ld s an aron en e r of Wriothe s le e e t an - a R ar 1 6 1 6 d 1 . 1 6 05 6 t r n ton , B Sp c y, ld s J , B i g , ich d au of or e ton e 1 9 d . enr E ar n e r on E S". a terwar W ml igh , di d H y l A d s , [ f ds

Dec . 1 636 . of o t a ton n t e of Pen e near r n S u h mp k igh d] dl y , T i g , ’ S h a k e a r o s E e s c . ert ir R ar n er o [ p H s . S ich d A d s n atron b w a te 5 Oct . 1 be p ] . L a d y y his ill d d 630 Spe nce r die d in quea thed to his cousin L arance a n ton of ra eno ort 1 667. g , s e , y W shi ” B s f n shilli gs .

e nr 3RD aron e n e r of Wormle i h The L a orot ne a ter of H y , B Sp c g dy D hy Sid y , d ugh ’ ton orn 1 620 re ate E ARL or U NDER Ro ert Ear of L e e ter a er Sa a , b ; c d S b l ic s [W ll s ch ’ LAND 8 ne 1 643 a Ro a t a n at the r a who was r e at r n ton 25 Feb . Ju , y lis sl i iss ] bu i d B i g - att e of New r co . er e t . of the 1 683 4 . b l bu y , B ks , S p ea wa r e i th sa me year . His h rt s bu i d n e r n ton fami ly vault at B i g .

' b The nne o n e t da te r o e 2ND o un rland ". . e a R rt Ear f S de C L , , l , , di d dy A Digby y u g s ugh

of eor e ar of r to . 1 7 1 5 . 28 e t . 1 702 . E S p G g , l B is l , d

The La nne C r 2ND dau . and dy A hu chill ,

co h . of o n e of ar oro . 1 7 1 6 J h Duk M lb ugh , d ; ND w 2 ife .

Robe rt 411 1 E ar , l o n er an f Su d l d ,

729 . di e d unm . 1

e dau . of o n en er on y s on re ate o nt and aron eorg ana . e t J h Sp c , l , c d Visc u B G i ld s P 76 1 and E ar te e n o ntz , o 1 Geo . 1 1 1 . 3 r 1 Spe nce r of Alth rp . [ Ap il ] l S ph y

765 a co . e r e 1 Nov . 1 l . i i e n er and o or 6 eo . 1 1 1 g , , Sp c Visc unt A th p, G [ ] M d h m B ks d d

181 4 . died 1 783 . or The Earls Spencer of Alth p. Th A n e ces tral Home of the Franklins .

HERE is no record that George Washing ton ever visited this country or took any

interest in searching out his pedigree , but we know that Franklin came to England and Visited the places where his family

had lived . His own diary and letters throw light upon the originof his family n in which he took a deep interest . The village of Ecto , f about five miles rom the town of Northampton , possesses a Manor - Farmhouse which is sometimes spoken of as the ancestral home of the Franklins , but tradition has it that the original house was burnt down , whilst some claim that

The Three Horse Shoes Inn forms part of their old home .

A well , in a garden near the Rectory , is still known as ’ Franklin s well . In the Churchyard are two tombs to Thomas Franklin 1 02 (died 7 ) and his wife Eleanor , and the inscriptions thereon are as follow Here Lyeth the Body of Thomas Franklin who departed this Life January the 6th Anno Domini 1 702

In the Sixty - Fifth

year of his age . The two memorial stones are in close proximity one in memory to Eleanor runs Here Lyeth the Body of Eleanor Franklin the wife of Thomas Franklin who departed this Life the 1 4th of March 1 7 1 1 in the 77th year f o her age .

Page Thirty- E ight Pag e T h irty- N in e Page F orty ’ r Thomas Franklin s y ounger b others , Benjamin and i n 1 8 F Josiah emigrated to New England 6 5 . rom the family of Josiah sprang the celebrated Benjamin . Josiah twice married having seven . childr en by his first wife and ten by his second . Benjamin was the tenth son of Josiah , and the eighth child and youngest son of ten children of the second marriage . In his early days he was apprenticed as a printer to his elder brother but the work was not congenial to him and for some years he did not settle down . He came back to England in 1 758 and visited Wellingborough and i 1 4 Ecton . Another v sit ( 77 ) was for the purpose of seeking an honourable peace . In connection with his first visit the reader is referred to correspondence giving details of the Franklin pedigree in English Ancestral Homes of Noted

Americans by Anne Hollingsworth Wharton . In Philadelphia he printed and edited a newspaper of his own . He very soon became an important citizen and his valued work included the re - organization of the Postal Service besides the introduction of such improvements as paving and street lighting , and treating with the Indians . His devoted study of science enabled him to apply a wide knowledge to help mankind . He will be remembered for his endeavour to abolish slavery . He was a great thinker , writer , scientist and inventor , and it is no wonder that the 1 world mourned its loss by his death in 790. His auto biography is a standard work . The Franklins carried on the business of blacksmiths and bell founders at Ecton for more than three centuries . In 1 9 1 0 a bronze tablet was erected in Ecton Church by some Americans recording the connection with Benjamin

Franklin . ’ On the main road stands the village inn , The World s ” End . Hogarth painted a sign for it during one of his visits to Ecton . The original sign no longer adorns the

' an en ravin building , although g g of it has been preserved .

Page Forty- One Northampton.

ORTHAM PTON possesses two very inter

esting churches . The Church of St . Peter is one of singular beauty and

interest . Its proximity to the L . M . S . ’ Station , where once Northampton s Castle

stood , seems to indicate . that Castle and Church were erected about the same period , which , indeed , they were . No finer example of

Norman architecture exists in the country . It dates from

1 1 60 and Simon de St . Liz the third Norman Earl of

Northampton was responsible for its erection . The chief feature is the beautifully carved capitals .

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Sheep Street is one of the four Round Churches remaining in England and is generally supposed to have been begun very soon after

iz 1 1 0 . 0 , and is assigned to Simon de St L , the first Norman

Earl of Northampton .

The Church of All Saints , in the centre of the town , though not possessing the architectural features of St .

’ ’ Sepulchre s and St . Peter s , has a rich and interesting

" history . The only portion , however , which survived the Great Fire of 1 675 is the tower which has recently been refaced . The earlier building , with central tower , dated from the eleventh century .

" M arefai r a The Hazelrigg Mansion , in , locally known s

Cromwell House , is an Elizabethan structure .

d t he The ol est building , excepting the churches , is

Hospital of St . John in Bridge Street and was founded in

1 1 3 8 .

Of the three remaining Eleanor Crosses , Northampton shire possesses two , the Northampton Cross standing about e a mil from the town , on the London road , and the other at

Geddington .

Page Forty- Two

The Author wishes to thank Lord Spencer for the loan of the pedigrees and photographs of Sulgrave and

’ Brington ( from Mr . Pinny s collection) used in this P book; Alderman S . S . Campion , J. . , for certain

’ i t t information relating to Wash ng on s Ancestry , aken ” from his Guide to the Northampton Town Hall ;

C . Messrs . W . Mark 81 o , and the Editor of The Northampton County Magazine for the loan of

blocks ( from photographs by Mr . C . F . Allen , Mr . D .

Leigh , the late Mr . George Nichols , Mr . A . Nichols ,

H. . . . . Mr . J Smith , and Mr A . E Tyrrell) , and Messrs

H . Cooper 81 Son , The County Studio , Northampton ,

for. permission to reproduce copyright photographs on 1 1 2 1 4 28 pages 1 , , and .

Page Forly- Four How to Get to Sulgra ve, Brington,

a nd Briton.

SU LGRAVE.

"

Sulgrave is 1 6 miles from Northampton by road . It is K best reached via islingbury , Bugbrooke , Litchborough ,

Maidford , Adstone , Canons Ashby , and Morton Pinkney By rail from Northampton Helmdon Station on the

1 L . M . S . Railway 5 the nearest point .

BRINGTO N.

Return on the same route as above as far as Maidford , F and take the left turn through arthingstone , Weedon F Beck , and lore . Take the second turn on the left to Little

Brington ( House) , and Great Brington is a _ Washington d mile distant . Althorp is passe on the return j ourney to Northampton

By rail Brington is reached from Althorp Station on 6 the L . M . S . Railway ( miles) . Buses to Rugby pass

Althorp Station .

ECTO N.

5 Ecton is miles east from Northampton . There are

frequent bus services on the Wellingborough Road . Two miles further on is the famous Saxon Tower of

Earls Barton Church .

Page For ty- Five T H E L IBRAR" UNIVERSIT "O F CAL I FORNIA

Sant a B arb ara

T H IS B O OK IS D UE O N T HE L AST DAT E A ST M PED B EL OW .

S e r i e s 9 4 8 2