The name is of an uncertain origin and could either be taken from a personal name (Hwaessa) or the farm/settlement at the sharp, pointed place (Hwaessing).[2] The village (with an older spelling) is sometimes cited as the origin of the family name of George Washington, the first US President.[3][4][5]
However, this origin is also claimed by the town of Washington near Newcastle upon Tyne, some 34 miles (55 km) north of Whashton.[6]
The Hack & Spade public house was established by 1880.[7]
Farming
The village is surrounded by farmland and has two main farms the Hagg which is down a track away from the main village. The farm caters for pig farming with a residential property on site (part of the Hartforth estate)
and another Whashton Farm set in the main village catering for cows.[8]
Village
The village once had a pub 'The Hack and Spade',[9] however that is now closed and the only village amenity is post box. There is also a classic red telephone box that has been converted to house a defibrillator.[10] The village is set on several walks around the surrounding Yorkshire hills. The local town is Richmond approximately 5 miles (8 km) away and the village is set only a few miles south of the A66.[11]
^Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names (4 ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 511. ISBN0-19-869103-3.
^Speight, Harry (1897). Romantic Richmondshire. Being a complete account of the history, antiquities and scenery of the picturesque valleys of the Swale and Yore. London: Elliott Stock. p. 181. OCLC504121899.
^Nowlan, Robert A. (2012). "One; geireg Washington: The Man Who Would Not Be King". The American presidents, Washington to Tyler : what they did, what they said, what was said about them, with full source notes. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. p. 25. ISBN978-0-7864-6336-7.
.svg)
