Yeovil's Virtual Museum

John Hutchings

Esquire, Banker

 

For someone who held an important position in Yeovil society (he invariably carried the suffix 'Esquire'), there is very little information regarding John Hutchings.

From his father Charles Hutchings' will, John is known to have been the eldest of the five children of Charles Hutchings (d1797) and his wife Sarah but any dates are as yet undiscovered. John's siblings were Sarah, Emma, George and Charles.

Charles Hutchings was Custos of Woborn Almshouse in 1789 and elected Warden five times between 1790 and 1794. His son John was elected Custos in 1813.

John Hutchings was a banker. Yeovil Old Bank was a private bank established by 1774, by Samuel Daniell who was appointed to receive and exchange deficient gold coin. The firm was known as Samuel Daniell & Co by 1796. By 1812, after John became a partner, it was known as Daniell & Hutchings and by 1814 was known as Yeovil Old Bank owned by Daniell & Co - with John Daniell the younger, John Hutchings and George Tilley Gollop as partners.

By 1819 the bank had been acquired by Edmund Batten and his partner Samuel Sparkes, a banker of Crewkerne and Chard, and was known as Batten, Sparkes & Co.

The Mansion House, Princes Street is a town house built in the late eighteenth century by John Hutchings. Watt's map of 1806 (below) shows the property as belonging to John Hutchings Esq. with its rear gardens adjoining the Sheep Fair. At this time North Lane was known as Sheep Lane.

The main house is of cut and squared local stone with Ham stone dressings under a Welsh slated roof behind a low parapet and between coped gables. It has a two-storey facade of three-bays, the entrance being in the right-hand bay. The door surround, seen at left, has attached Roman Doric unfluted columns supporting a plain entablature, which flanks a keyed semi-circular arched doorway.

There is a Ham stone string course at first floor level, and a dentilled cornice.Late nineteenth and early twentieth century extensions on the north side side, the late eighteenth century extension to the south is now known as Magnolia House.

Edward Genge ran a school in Mansion House but he died in 1825 at the early age of 25. George Rossiter carried on the school when he married Genge's widow, Grace in 1826. E Watts' map of 1829 notes the property as "Mr Rossiter's Premises" and in the 'Academies and Schools' section of Pigot's Directory of 1830 George Rossiter's "Gentleman's Boarding Academy" was listed at Mansion House.

What happened to John Hutchings after the 1819 takeover of the Yeovil Old Bank is unknown. Having said that, an indenture of 20 June 1834 referred to "Indentures of Lease and Release bearing date respectively the twenty fourth and twenty fifth days of March One thousand eight hundred and twenty three the Release made between John Hutchings Esquire (the Surviving Trustee for Sale under the Will of John Daniell Esquire) of the first part..." indicating that he was alive and presumably still in Yeovil in 1823. However, it appears that Hutchings may have left his home, Mansion House, since it transpires that Edward Genge had founded a school there, but he died in 1825.

 

 

Edward Bullock Watts' 1806 map of Yeovil showing, just left of centre Mansion House and (today's) Magnolia House alongside - the whole parcel being annotated "John Hutchings Esqr".

From my collection

A cut-cancelled £1 banknote (worth around £95 at today's value) issued by the Yeovil Old Bank, dated 27 February 1818 and signed by John Hutchings. The partners in the bank were John Daniell, John Hutchings and George Tilley Gollop. 

 

This photograph features in my book "Yeovil In 50 Buildings"

The original house is at centre with a late eighteenth or very early nineteenth century addition to the right shown on Watts' map of 1806 (Magnolia House) and an early twentieth century addition at left. Shame about the modern replacement windows and ghastly glazing - what were they thinking?

 

 

The above is the sworn affidavit of John Hutchings, made at the time his younger brother Charles was articled as Clerk to Attorney and Solicitor Richard Toller. it reads as follows -

 

John Hutchings of Yeovil in the County of Somerset Esquire maketh oath that he this deponent did see Richard Toller of South Petherton in the said County one of his Majesty's Attorneys of the Court of King's Bench Charles Hutchings the Son of Sarah Hutchings in the said County of Somerset Widow and also the said Sarah Hutchings severally sign, seal, and as their several Acts and Deeds in due form of Law deliver certain Articles of Agreement, bearing date the twelfth day of September last past and made between the said Sarah Hutchings and Charles Hutchings of the one part and the said Richard Toller of the other part whereby the said Sarah Hutchings and Charles Hutchings agreed that the said Charles Hutchings should serve the said Richard Toller as his Clerk in the Practice of an Attorney and Solicitor for the term of Five Years, to be computed from the day of the date of the said Articles And this deponent further saith That the names Sarah Hutchings Charles Hutchings, and Richard Toller set and subscribed opposite to the several seals affixed to the said Articles, as the Practice executing the same, one of the several and respective proper hands Writing of the said Sarah Hutchings Charles Hutchings and Richard Toller and that the name John Prankerd Junr thereto setts as one of the subscribing witnesses to the said Articles, in the proper hands Writing of John Prankerd Junr thereto set as one of the subscribing witnesses to the said articles, in the proper handwriting of John Prankerd the Younger and that the name John Hutchings thereunto [word illegible] the other subscribing witness in the proper handWriting of this deponent

                                                                 John Hutchings

Sworn at Yeovil in the county
of Somerset the twelfth day of
October 1798 before me
          ESM Batten

Transcribed by Bob Osborn