Author: Hutchinson, William
Biography:
HUTCHINSON, William (1732-1814: ODNB)
A solicitor of Barnard Castle, Durham, he made his name as a county historian in two ambitious publishing projects of 1786-94; before then he had turned his writing talents in a more literary direction. He was born at Durham on 31 Dec. 1732, the son of Hannah (Doubleday) Hutchinson and William Hutchinson, a lawyer. After articling with a solicitor he established a legal practice in Barnard Castle and married Elizabeth Marshall in her parish of Stockton on 30 Sept. 1758 (not 1756). The couple registered the baptisms of eight children between 1761 and 1771 but only four survived them. Hutchinson was an active Mason: his lectures on the subject, The Spirit of Freemasonry (1775) remained in print for over sixty years. With time to spare for his antiquarian and literary interests, Hutchinson published works of prose fiction that received tepid reviews--The Hermitage (1772, reprinted as Dumont in 1773) and The Doubtful Marriage (1792)—as well as his “dramatic poem” The Princess of Zanfara, but it was his travel writing that set him on the path to the county histories. Two Excursions into the Lakes, Northumberland, and Scotland (1774, 1776-8) led to an invitation from his wealthy friend and fellow antiquary George Allan (1736-1800), to produce by subscription The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham (3 vols.,1786-94), which Hutchinson followed up with a History of the County of Cumberland in 2 vol. (1794). Hutchinson was elected FSA in 1781. Elizabeth Hutchinson died at home at The Grove, Barnard Castle, on 2 Apr. 1814 and William five days later; they were buried in St. Mary’s churchyard there on 11 Apr. (ODNB 24 Jan. 2023; findmypast.com 24 Jan. 2023; EN1) HJ