Looking through my CD-ROM copy of "American Armoury & Blue Book" (1907) I noted an entry for William Lanier Washington, a descendant of George Washington’s brother William Augustine Washington, and it lists his arms the same as GW.
William Lanier Washington was born March 30, 1865, in Montgomery, Ala., and was apparently a very successful businessman in the steel industry. It’s the most recent use of the arms I’ve seen by a family member.
In my haste, I failed to also mention that there is an entry for Joseph Edwin Washington, born Nov. 10, 1851, in Wessyngton, TN, also listed with the same Washington arms. He was a member of the General Assembly of Tennessee.
I stumbled upon a web site for a company called The District Line, a clothing company that uses a coat of arms with the first quarter being Washington’s arms:
District Line is now defunct. I rendered this particular COA approx 4’ tall for the inside of the store. Interesting interpretation of symbol - London Metro, Washington Arms, American Eagle, etc. He was importing british clothing for the DC market area.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/2937849325_a151f4f259.jpg
Found this photo online. It’s of the flag stone of Penelope Washington in the church of St. John the Baptist in Wickhamford, Worcestershire. Note that the arms are different than George Washington’s in that there appears to be a base Gules as well.
Do we know the actual blazon of the arms of Penelope Washington?
Kelisli;67556 wrote:
Do we know the actual blazon of the arms of Penelope Washington?
All of the Washington/Wassington/Wessington arms of this pattern listed in Burke’s General Armory are blazoned as "Argent two bars and in chief three mullets gules" (or an equivalent).
I suspect that the artist who created the tile for Penelope Washington was simply trying to visually balance the chief (with the three mullets) and base (with nothing) of the arms.
David
I can’t remember where, but I have seen the arms of a baronial German cadet branch of the family with the stars as six branched stars. I believe I may have also seen arms of another cadet branch with the tincture as sable as opposed to gules, although I don’t recall where I saw them. I will have to dig in my records.
Since we are on the Washington’s arms. I found the arms below while surfing the internet -
Check this web site:
http://www.georgeglazer.com/prints/americana/gwcoat.html
It has a nice wooden panel with Martha Washington’s coat of arms dated April 16, 1889
Here is another version of the arms of the Washington family (differenced by a crescent) from a window at the Church of St. James The Less, Sulgrave:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/Kelisli/ChurchW04w.jpg
Image source: http://www.sulgrave.org/Sulgrave Church/Church01.html
Kelisli;67587 wrote:
Here is another version of the arms of the Washington family (differenced by a crescent) from a window at the Church of St. James The Less, Sulgrave:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t11/Kelisli/ChurchW04w.jpg
Image source: http://www.sulgrave.org/Sulgrave Church/Church01.html
It’s unfortunate that the web site repeats the inaccurate tale of the Washington arms being the inspiration for the U.S. flag/arms.
This thread is a few months old, but just wanted to put in another reference to the "Washington" arms found here.
http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo3/blueoceanbob/Heraldry/Washington_coat_of_arms.jpg
This site also mentions that the arms were used as a model of the American Flag. :(
But, it does mention that during the visitation of Glover the Herald to Shelby in 1584-5 the mullets were blazoned as "pierced". The site goes on to say,
Quote:
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.
Robert Tucker;69739 wrote:
This thread is a few months old, but just wanted to put in another reference to the "Washington" arms found here.
http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo3/blueoceanbob/Heraldry/Washington_coat_of_arms.jpg
Amazing how closely this picture resembles the one at http://americanheraldry.org/pages/index.php?n=President.Washington 
Quote:
But, it does mention that during the visitation of Glover the Herald to Shelby in 1584-5 the mullets were blazoned as "pierced".
I think it is quite likely that up to at least the late 16th century there was not considered to be any difference between pierced and unpierced mullets. I imagine that heralds up to about this period would have simply called either variation "mullets."
Robert Tucker;69739 wrote:
This thread is a few months old, but just wanted to put in another reference to the "Washington" arms found here.
http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo3/blueoceanbob/Heraldry/Washington_coat_of_arms.jpg
This site also mentions that the arms were used as a model of the American Flag. :(
But, it does mention that during the visitation of Glover the Herald to Shelby in 1584-5 the mullets were blazoned as "pierced". The site goes on to say,
Is there any proof that the American flag and American eagle were not in some way tied to the Washington heraldry? The fact that both Washington’s arms and the American flag contain red and white stripes and stars (mullets) as well as the eagle being Washington’s crest is certainly quite a coincidence; too much of one I think.
Caledonian;87707 wrote:
Is there any proof that the American flag and American eagle were not in some way tied to the Washington heraldry? The fact that both Washington’s arms and the American flag contain red and white stripes and stars (mullets) as well as the eagle being Washington’s crest is certainly quite a coincidence; too much of one I think.
Actually, you’re asking the wrong question. The matter is not whether or not there exists any proof that it isn’t the case. Rather, one should ask for the proof that the US flag is derived from Washington’s arms. The fact that one of the men credited with designing the US flag, Francis Hopkinson, had arms which contained stars as well shows that the inclusion of stars in the flag may very well indeed simply be a coincidence. That Washington bore arms with stripes and stars is not "too much" of a coincidence. Rather, it is merely a coincidence.
In the end no one has to "prove" that it is not true. Instead, those who assert it must be true have the burden of "proof".
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F10817FE355D13738DDDAE0894D9405B848DF1D3
gselvester;87708 wrote:
Actually, you’re asking the wrong question. The matter is not whether or not there exists any proof that it isn’t the case. Rather, one should ask for the proof that the US flag is derived from Washington’s arms. The fact that one of the men credited with designing the US flag, Francis Hopkinson, had arms which contained stars as well shows that the inclusion of stars in the flag may very well indeed simply be a coincidence. That Washington bore arms with stripes and stars is not "too much" of a coincidence. Rather, it is merely a coincidence.
In the end no one has to "prove" that it is not true. Instead, those who assert it must be true have the burden of "proof".
So there is no proof either for or against the American Flag being derrivative of Washington’s star-spangled red and white striped coat of arms? In cases such as that, what passes for the "truth" is more often than not whatever people happen to believe based on their own personal mindset.
The U.S. flag and coat of arms are clearly derived not from the arms of Washington but from the those of Philip Richard Fendall, a contemporary who was a cousin of the Lees of Virginia and Maryland.
http://www.americanheraldry.org/pages/uploads/Roll/fendall.gif
General "Light-Horse Harry" Lee was a frequent visitor of the Fendalls and his brothers Edmund and Charles lived across the street and next door to the Fendalls.
Now here’s the clincher: Arthur Lee, a cousin of Harry, Edmund, and Charles was a member of the 3rd committee for the design of the great seal, the one that settled on the final design of the U.S. arms? A coincidence? I think not!
Don’t think it happened this way? Prove that it didn’t!
