William de Washington
| William de Washington | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1180-1200 Durham, England |
| 💀Died | 1239-1264 (aged at most 84, at least 39) England1239-1264 (aged at most 84, at least 39) |
| 🏳️ Nationality | English |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Known for | 3rd Lord of the Manor of Washington, Vassal of the Palatine-Bishop of Durham, Possibly Fought at the Battle of Lewes, Probably Made significant improvements to Washington Old Hall, Ancestor of George Washington |
Sir William de Washington/Wessington was an English knight who was born between ~1185. His father was William de Hartburn and his elder brother was Walter de Washington. His father had traded his Manor of Hartburn for the manor of Washington with the Bishop of Durham.[1] His father also witnessed a charter of the Bishop of Durham ~1170, suggesting a close link between the Washington family and the Bishop of Durham.[1] He was also the brother-in-law to Sir Malcolm Fitz Waldeve (brother of Sir John de Waldeve) and Sir Simon de Welton (a tenant of Tynemouth Priory).[2] His older brother Walter died ~1211, and in 1212 he paid the crown 40 marks to marry Alicia, the widow of the wealthy royal judge Sir John de Lexington, and was allowed 10 marks for 2 Palfreys.[3][4] Considering his young age, this was probably an Arranged marriage. This exchange is significant because it shows that, despite the palatinate status of the bishopric of Durham, vassals of the bishop could still go directly to the crown for heiresses. It is also an example of how animals were used as a form of currency to compensate for a lack of coinage.
He is also notable for having been the third lord of the Lords of the manor of Washington, which he held In fief from the Bishop of Durham by 1226.[5][6][3][7][8] In 1227, he was recorded in the close rolls as the Lord of Washington after having paid 6 marks in common aid (though he should have only had to pay one mark), indicating the importance of the Washington family's landholdings in Durham.[9][10]
His name was inscribed in the Durham Liber Vitae in a thirteenth-century hand as "William de Wessent". His elder brother is known to have used the Dunbar Lion as his seal, but it is unknown if William continued this practice.[11] Based on the evidence of him or his son fighting in the bishop's contingent and holding a fief from him, it is certain that he was a vassal of the Bishop of Durham and perhaps even a friend and/or Retainer (medieval), especially considering the Washington family was known to have been members of the Bishop of Durham's council and also his barons in the 13th century.[12] Further evidence of William having been a vassal of the Bishop of Durham is evident in the contract his father had set up with the bishop whereby he held the manor of Washington in exchange for four pounds in annual rent, attending the bishop at his Grand Hunts, providing two greyhounds for the bishop's grand hunts, and giving one mark for the common aid whenever demanded.[13] The feudal arrangement of supplying goods or services (excluding knight service) instead of, or in addition to, money is called Serjeanty, and this appears to be the arrangement which his father had made with the Bishop of Durham. His great-niece Marjory (granddaughter of his sister Marjory) was the heir to the Welton Manor, and his son would later be involved in a fierce conflict over that inheritance from 1254-1257.[4]
Based on his ownership of the manor during the time of its improvements, it is very likely that he was the one who made significant improvements to Washington Old Hall (English Heritage listed site) in the middle of the 13th century.[14][15] Some of his possible improvements can still be seen on the building to this day, for example, the pointed arches between the western wing and the Great hall.[15] After William's probable improvements to the hall, it was of enough significance to have been honored as lodgings of Edward I of England on his way back from Scotland.[14] This, coupled with the fact that he was clearly wealthy (based on him paying 6 marks instead of one for common aid), suggests that he was probably responsible for a considerable amount of building as the hall went from being relatively unimportant to being important enough for the monarch to use as Lodgings. Seeing as how the improvements took place in the middle of the 13th century, and he died after 1264, it is likely that William built them sometime between 1250-1260. William's probable improvements to Washington Old Hall are made even more significant because it also indicates growth of the general settlement.
In the years 1237-39 he witnessed a charter at Newcastle upon Tyne in the company of Alan of Bedale, the Sheriff of Northumberland, proving his importance in the region.[16]
He is notable as an ancestor of President George Washington of the United States and for having possibly fought for the royals at the Battle of Lewes.[17][18][3] One "Wauter de Weshynton" is listed as having been one of the ~80 Durham knights who fought at the Battle of Lewes; this has been interpreted as him by 18th- and 19th-century scholars, but more recently it has also been interpreted as his son, Walter de Washington.[19][20][3][21][22] It is possible he fought in 1264 at the Battle of Lewes, but this seems unlikely given his age. However, it is certain he was not alive beyond 1264.[23][3]
William had issue:
- William/Walter de Washington b. 1230 at Washington[3]
- Thomas de Washington b. 1235 at Washington[3]
- John de Washington b. 1240 at Washington[3]
- Simon de Washington b. 1245 at Washington[3]
- Marjory Fitz Waldeve[2]
- Agnes de Welton[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Snape, M. G.; Smith, David Michael; Kemp, B. R. (1980). English Episcopal Acta: Durham, 1153-1195. British Academy. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-19-726234-4. Search this book on
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Washington, George S. H. L. (George Sydney Horace Lee) (1964). The earliest Washingtons and their Anglo-Scottish connections. Boston Public Library. Cambridge [Eng.] p. 6. Search this book on
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Welles, Albert (1879). The Pedigree and History of the Washington Family: Derived from Odin, the Founder of Scandinavia, B.C. 70, Involving a Period of Eighteen Centuries, and Including Fifty-five Generations, Down to General George Washington, First President of the United States. Republished by multiple different sources including Repressed Publishing; Reprint edition, & Society Library. pp. 18–19. Check date values in:
|year= / |date= mismatch(help) Search this book on
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Washington, George S. H. L. (George Sydney Horace Lee) (1964). The earliest Washingtons and their Anglo-Scottish connections. Boston Public Library. Cambridge [Eng.] p. 7. Search this book on
- ↑ "Pedigree of the Washington Family" (PDF). http://memory.loc.gov/. Retrieved 12/31/2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help); Check date values in:|access-date=(help); External link in|website=(help) - ↑ "Local Studies Center Fact Sheet Number 12 Washington Old Hall" (PDF). Sunderland City Council. 2007-09-27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2020-12-31. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ The American Genealogist. D.L. Jacobus. 1970. Search this book on
- ↑ Jacobus, Donald Lines (1970). The American Genealogist. 46-47. D.L. Jacobus. p. 229.CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ Washington, George S. H. L. (George Sydney Horace Lee) (1964). The earliest Washingtons and their Anglo-Scottish connections. Boston Public Library. Cambridge [Eng.] p. 7. Search this book on
- ↑ Washington, George S. H. L. (George Sydney Horace Lee) (1964). The earliest Washingtons and their Anglo-Scottish connections. Boston Public Library. Cambridge [Eng.] p. 6. Search this book on
- ↑ Washington, George S. H. L. (George Sydney Horace Lee) (1964). The earliest Washingtons and their Anglo-Scottish connections. Boston Public Library. Cambridge [Eng.] p. 7. Search this book on
- ↑ Washington, George S. H. L. (George Sydney Horace Lee) (1964). The earliest Washingtons and their Anglo-Scottish connections. Boston Public Library. Cambridge [Eng.] p. 3. Search this book on
- ↑ Washington, George S. H. L. (George Sydney Horace Lee) (1964). The earliest Washingtons and their Anglo-Scottish connections. Boston Public Library. Cambridge [Eng.] p. 5. Search this book on
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Washington Old Hall". www.bbc.co.uk. BBC. 11/03/2008. Retrieved 2020-12-31. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help); Check date values in:|date=(help) - ↑ 15.0 15.1 Gillan, Tony (6 July 2020). "The story of Washington Old Hall's thousand year history – and its (slightly tenuous) American connection". www.sunderlandecho.com. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
Parts of this can be seen inside today, including distinctive pointed arches between the Great Hall and the west wing.
Unknown parameter|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Washington, George S. H. L. (George Sydney Horace Lee) (1964). The earliest Washingtons and their Anglo-Scottish connections. Boston Public Library. Cambridge [Eng.] p. 8. Search this book on
- ↑ "Walter Washington Knt (abt.1207-1264) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree". www.wikitree.com. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ↑ "Walter de Washington b. Abt 1212 Wessyngton, Sun, Durham d. 14 May 1264 battle of Lewes: Geneagraphie - Families all over the world". www.geneagraphie.com. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ↑ Peerage, Burkes (1895). Burke's Colonial Gentry. Burkes Peerage. doi:10.5118/bcg.1895. ISBN 978-0-85011-098-2. Search this book on
- ↑ Washington, George S. H. L. (George Sydney Horace Lee) (1964). The earliest Washingtons and their Anglo-Scottish connections. Boston Public Library. Cambridge [Eng.] p. 8. Search this book on
- ↑ Hutchinson, William (1785–1794). The history and antiquities of the county palatine of Durham. Newcastle. hdl:2027/hvd.hnfd6a.CS1 maint: Date format (link) Search this book on
- ↑ Davis, David (1888). The Castle Howell School Record, Comprising a List of Pupils from the Beginning, Papers on the Origin, Name and Changes. Harvard University. pp. 192, 196.CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ "Sir, Walter de Washington". www.djhooker.com. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
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