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Washington Old Hall


 

Washington Old Hall is a manor house located in the Washington area of Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom. It lies in the centre of Washington, being surrounded by other villages. The manor was the ancestral home of the family of George Washington, the first President of the United States.

History

William de Hertburne, an ancestor of George Washington, assumed tenancy of the Wessyngtonlands from the Bishop of Durham for an annual fee of £4. Soon after, he changed his name to William de Wessyngton (later Washington). Although he used the Norman French spelling (based on a Middle English rendition of the original), the estate is of Anglo-Saxon (specifically Anglic) origin, originally being "Hwæssingatūn", meaning "estates of the descendents of Hwæssa" (Hwæssa being rendered Wassa in Modern English).

In 1613 the Washington family moved south to Sulgrave Manor in Northamptonshire, and the manor was sold to the Bishop of Durham.

The Hall continued to be used as a residence until the 19th century, when it became tenement flats and gradually fell into disrepair. In 1936 the building was declared unfit for human habitation, and was rescued from demolition by Fred Hill, a local teacher, who created what is now the "Friends of the Old Hall" to press for restoration of the building. Preservation work stopped during World War II, but was completed in 1955. The building was opened by the American Ambassador. In 1957 the National Trust assumed responsibility for the building.

As a result of these historic ties, Washington, D.C., and City of Sunderland have announced a "friendship agreement," hoping to create cultural and economic ties with one another (see sister cities or town twinning).

The Wessyngton (Washington) Family had not owned Washington Old Hall since the early 15th century when Sir William Mallory married Dionysia Tempest, the last Wessyngton heir at the Hall. Dionysia was daughter of Sir William Tempest and his cousin, Eleanor Wessyngton. The sale in 1613 was by Sir John Mallory and Anna Eure, investors in the Virginia charter; Sir John Mallory having been a descendant of Sir William Mallory and Dionysia Tempest.

Text from Wikipedia, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (accessed: 11/09/2018).
Visit the page: Washington Old Hall for references and further details. You can contribute to this article on Wikipedia.

Heritage Sites Washington National Trust Historic Buildings and Monuments in Sunderland Grade I Listed
from http://www.nationaltrust.org.…
Washington Old Hall - National Trust
- Visitor information, photos and other information.

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Washington Old Hall (4)

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washington hall 3

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washington hall 1

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washington hall 27

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George Washington's Old Home Restored (1955)

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Washington Old Hall
- "NZ 35NW WASHINGTON THE AVENUE 2/73 Washington. 19.12.49 Washington Old Hall (formerly listed as Washington G.V. Hall) I House. Early C17 incorporating parts of a medieval house; 1792 alterations to …

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The Old hall

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Washington Old Hall

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Washington Old Hall, Dining Room

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The Jacobean Garden, Washington Old Hall

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Washington Old Hall

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Garden

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WASHINGTON OLD HALL - List Entry
- "House. Early C17 incorporating parts of a medieval house; 1792 alterations to east wing; restoration begun 1937. Coursed sandstone blocks; roof of pantiles has flat stone gable coping. H-plan with …

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Washington Old Hall-3

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Washington Old Hall-5

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Washington Old Hall-6

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Washington Old Hall-1

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List grade: 1
List number: 1354971
Grid ref: NZ3110256555
Borough: Sunderland
Wikipedia: Washington Old Hall

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