The first ancestor of George Washington to live in the North East was William de Hertburn, who moved to Washington in 1183. Adopting the name of his property, as was normal practice in those times, he became William de Wessyngton. Five generations of George Washington's direct ancestors lived in the family home at Washington Old Hall from 1183 until 1288 (and by the Washingtons and their descendants until 1613) before they moved to Sulgrave Manor in Northamptonshire and eventually emigrated in 1657 to Northern Neck in the new colony of Virginia.
The crest of the Washingtons of Washington includes a design of three stars (or mullets) and two stripes. It has been suggested that this formed the basis for the American flag. Among a multitude of later visitors have been President U.S. Grant and the former US president Jimmy Carter, whose engaging cry of 'Howay the lads' was well received. The family of the American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson also originated in the North East, as did that of Charlton Heston and Hillary Clinton.
George Washington was a keen admirer of the opera Rosina by William Shield (q.v.) of Swalwell.