by Joshua Ortiz

Created on: December 11, 2008

William Hutton was born on September 30th, 1723 in Derby, England. Ten Years later his mother passed away from complications from her ninth pregnancy. William's father turned to alcohol for comfort and thus neglected his family. William, as a result, moved in with his Uncle.

In 1737, Hutton started an apprenticeship as a silk stockinger with his uncle George Hutton. Upon completion of his apprenticeship he opened a small bookshop in 1749 outside of Southwell, England. Unfortunately, this business would fail. Soon thereafter, William moved to Birmingham, England and began writing for various magazines. He opened his second bookstore, this time a success, in Birmingham in 1750.

He soon met, fell in love with, and subsequently married Sarah Cook in 1755. They would have four children together, three sons and a daughter.

By 1756, William Hutton opened the first paper warehouse in Birmingham. This business flourished and by 1766 he began purchasing real estate. Three years later he acquired land in Bennett's Hill, near Birmingham, and built a country house there.

He published his first great work in 1782 it was entitled "History of Birmingham". This same year he was also elected as fellow of the Antiquarian Society of Scotland. After being elected president of the society in 1787 he published "Dissertation on Juries." During the Birmingham riots of 1791 Hutton's house was burnt down and as a result he wrote "Narratives of the Riots." William, in 1795, at the age of 72 walked to Tenbury, a distance of 38 miles, to purchase his new estate. It was only a year later that his wife fell ill and died. To comfort her father, Catherine Hutton began accompanying him on trips around the world. Hutton completed his personal history in 1798 and kept further yearly records of his life until he died in 1815 at the age of 92.

During Hutton's lifetime he wrote many stories about his experiences as a kid and his many travels. "Journey to London" was written in 1784 and recounted his life as a youngster living in England. The "Battle of Bosworth Field" described a vivid background of the event that took place in 1485, as well as the trip he took with his family to the battle grounds. By 1788 William published another work known as the "History of Blackpool." He took particular interest in publishing the "History of Derby" because this was the place of his birth and was also his home for many years. After traveling with his daughter to Rome and Wales he wrote "The History of the Roman Wall" and "Remarks Upon North Wales." Hutton also took delight in poetry and wrote many poems that would also be published within his lifetime. His last two works were published in 1803 and 1808. He called these books the "Tour of Scarborough" and "Trip to Coatham."

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