John Hutchins (antiquary)
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John Hutchins (1698–1773) was a Church of England clergyman and English topographer, who is best known as a county historian of
Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
.


Life

John Hutchins was born at Bradford Peverell, Dorset, on 21 September 1698. He was the son of Richard Hutchins (died 1734), who was for many years
curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...
there, and from 1693 rector of All Saints', Dorchester. His mother, Anne, died on 9 April 1707, and was buried in Bradford Peverell Church. His early education was under the Rev. William Thornton, master of Dorchester Grammar School, and on 30 May 1718 he matriculated at
Hart Hall, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colleg ...
. In the next spring (10 April) he migrated to
Balliol College Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...
, and graduated B.A. on 18 January 1722, but for some unknown reason became M.A. from
Magdalene College, Cambridge Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...
, in 1730. Late in 1722 or early in 1723 he was ordained, and served as curate and usher to George Marsh, who from 1699 to 1737 was vicar of
Milton Abbas Milton Abbas is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England, lying around southwest of Blandford Forum. In the 2011 Census the civil parish had a population of 755. This planned community was built after the old Town was demolished in the 17 ...
and the master of its grammar school. In his native county Hutchins remained for the rest of his life. Through the interest of Jacob Bancks of Milton, he was instituted to the rectory of Swyre (
Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
) on 22 August, and to that of
Melcombe Horsey Melcombe Horsey is a civil parish in the county of Dorset in South West England. It contains the small settlements of Melcombe Bingham, Bingham's Melcombe and Higher Melcombe, the last being the site of the deserted village of Melcombe Horsey. In ...
in 1733. He became rector of Holy Trinity, Wareham, on 8 March 1744, but he retained the cures of Swyre and Wareham until his death. Political agitation among his parishioners at Wareham involved him in difficulties, and his weak voice and growing deafness diminished his influence in the pulpit. On Sunday, 25 July 1762, when the town of Wareham was devastated by fire and his rectory-house was burnt to ashes, his topographical papers were rescued by Mrs. Hutchins at the risk of her life. At the end of his days Hutchins was seized by a paralytic stroke, but he still laboured at his history of Dorset. On 21 June 1773 Hutchins died, and was buried in the church of St. Mary's, Wareham, in the old chapel under its south aisle. A monument on the north wall of the church commemorated his memory. An engraving by John Collimore of a portrait of Hutchins by Cantlo Bestland appeared in Peregrine Bingham's ''Memoir'' (1813). Hutchins' library was sold by Thomas Payne in 1774.


Works

Jacob Bancks, his patron, urged Hutchins to compile a county history of Dorset; and
Browne Willis Browne Willis (16 September 1682 – 5 February 1760) was an antiquary, author, numismatist and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1705 to 1708. Early life Willis was born at Blandford St Mary, Dorset, the eldest son of Thomas Will ...
, when visiting in 1736, persuaded him to undertake the work. Three years later Hutchins circulated from Milton Abbas a single-sheet folio of six queries, with an appeal for aid, which was drawn up by Willis and printed at his cost. The work dragged for many years, but a handsome subscription encouraged the compiler in 1761 to search the principal libraries and the records in the
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
. In 1774, after his death, it was published in two folio volumes as the ''History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset'', but there was prefixed a dedication by Hutchins, dated 1 June 1773. The volumes rose in value. The first volume of a second edition was issued in 1796 and its successor in 1803, but all that was printed of the third volume, with the exception of a single copy preserved in
Richard Gough Charles Richard Gough (born 5 April 1962) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a defender. Gough played in the successful Dundee United team of the early 1980s, winning the Scottish league title in 1982–83 and reachi ...
's library at
Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...
, and all the unsold copies of vols. i. and ii., were consumed by fire at the printing-house of John Nichols on 8 February 1808. Nichols printed an appeal for support, and in 1813 the third volume appeared with Gough's name as its editor. The fourth volume came out in 1815. On this edition John Bellasis spent much of his own money. A further edition was published in four volumes (1861, 1864, 1868, and 1873). It began under the editorship of William Shipp and James Whitworth Hodson; Shipp was sole editor from 1868, and although the prolegomena are dated September 1874 he died on 8 December 1873. Parts of this history were subsequently issued separately. From the first edition were extracted descriptions of
Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...
and
Stalbridge Stalbridge () is a small town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale, near the border with Somerset. In the United Kingdom 2011 Census, 2011 census the civil parish—which includes the haml ...
, and ''A View of the Principal Towns, Seats, Antiquities in Dorset'' (1773). Accounts of Milton Abbas,
Shaftesbury Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about above sea level on a ...
, and
Sherborne Sherborne is a market town and civil parish in north west Dorset, in South West England. It is sited on the River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The parish includes the hamlets of Nether Coombe and Lower Clatcombe. T ...
were selected from the second edition, and a history from the Blandford division, taken from the last impression, was circulated in 1860. Further use was made in ''Doomsday Book for Dorset'' by
William Bawdwen William Bawdwen (1762–1816) was a Church of England clergyman, school teacher and English antiquary. Life Bawdwen was the son of William Bawdwen, of Stone Gap, Craven, Yorkshire, born 9 March 1762. He was educated at Manchester Grammar School, a ...
. Letters by Hutchins are published in Nichols's ''Illustrations of Literature'' and ''Literary Anecdotes'',
William Stukeley William Stukeley (7 November 1687 – 3 March 1765) was an English antiquarian, physician and Anglican clergyman. A significant influence on the later development of archaeology, he pioneered the scholarly investigation of the prehistoric ...
's ''Family Memoirs'' (
Surtees Society The Surtees Society is a text publication society and registered charity (No. 1003812) based in Durham in northern England. The society was established on 27 May 1834 by James Raine, following the death (on 11 February) of the renowned County D ...
), and in ''
Notes and Queries ''Notes and Queries'', also styled ''Notes & Queries'', is a long-running quarterly scholarly journal that publishes short articles related to " English language and literature, lexicography, history, and scholarly antiquarianism".From the inne ...
'', 5th ser. x. 343. Hutchins contributed a memoir of Jacob Bancks to the ''
London Magazine ''The London Magazine'' is the title of six different publications that have appeared in succession since 1732. All six have focused on the arts, literature and miscellaneous topics. 1732–1785 ''The London Magazine, or, Gentleman's Monthly I ...
'' in May 1738.


Family

Hutchins married Anne, daughter of Thomas Stephens, rector of Pimperne, Dorset, at Melcombe Horsey on 21 December 1733; she died on 2 May 1796, aged 87. Their daughter, Anne Martha, married, 3 June 1776, at St. Thomas's (now the cathedral),
Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
, John Bellasis, then major of artillery in the service of the
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
at Bombay, and afterwards major-general and commander of the forces at Bombay. She died at Bombay on 14 May 1797, and her husband on 11 February 1808.


References

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Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Hutchins, John 1698 births 1773 deaths 18th-century English Anglican priests English antiquarians Alumni of Hart Hall, Oxford Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford People from West Dorset District English local historians