Stars and Stripes were here first
Maidstone already has strong American connections. In fact the Stars and Stripes flag was ‘born’ in Maidstone.
Lawrence Washington, a Justice of the Peace in Kent and one of two MPs for the County Town, was the great-great-great-greatgreat-uncle of George Washington, the first president of the United States.
Lawrence Washington lived in Knightrider Street and died in 1619. His coat of arms – an eagle, three stars and two red stripes against a white background – can be found at his memorial in All Saints Church, Mill Street, on the wall by the south west door.
Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States, reportedly said of George Washington: “We, and not he –- it was unknown to him –- took up his coat of arms and multiplied and magnified it every way to this, our glorious national banner.”