The presence of a burial tablet on the floor of the Chancel of the Church of St John the Baptist in Wickhamford has drawn many Americans to visit the church. It commemorates Penelope Washington, who died in 1697 and was a distant relative of President George Washington.
A THRILL FOR AMERICANS
Two Stripes and Three Stars with the Cross of the Washingtons
HISTORY SLIGHTS IT – HOME OF GEORGE WASHINGTON’S ANCESTORS IN ENGLAND
Unmistakable traces of the distinguished family to be found in the village of Wickhamford, near Stratford-on-Avon – grave of Penelope, daughter of Colonel Henry Washington, in the parish church – little accurate information to be obtained in regard to them.
CONCERNING GEORGE WASHINGTON
More gems from the Badsey church chest recently deposited in the Badsey Society Archive reveal the fascinating story of a Badsey family.
The 22nd AGM was held as a “hybrid” meeting; 40 members being in attendance in person and 12 via Zoom. Maureen Spinks was re-elected as Chairman, Shirley Tutton as Secretary and Will Dallimore as Treasurer. Tom Locke, Jane Neill, Alan Tutton, Gill Woods, Helen Green and Andy Higgitt were re-elected to the Committee.
In 2022, following a talk on medieval graffiti by Wayne Perkins, three members of the Badsey Society, Shirley Tutton, Helen Green and Kerry Moreton, undertook a photographic survey of the medieval graffiti in St James' Church. Shirley gave a talk about what they found, and what the graffiti tells us about the beliefs and lives of medieval people.
This event followed immediately after the annual Parish Council’s Christmas carols outside The Wheatsheaf. We were delighted to welcome many new faces to the event, as well as our regular attendees.
A full coach-load of people headed to Oxford for the day. The majority of the group visited the Ashmolean Museum where the day began with coffee, followed by a guided tour of highlights of the museum. After lunch there was free time to carry on exploring the museum further or to visit the city.
This talk had to be postponed from October to November and a last-minute change of venue to the church was required, but this did not deter some 42 members from attending.
