This account is part of a series about the nine houses in Paradise Row. Readers are invited to go to the general introduction before studying the individual accounts relating to each of the nine houses. Photograph 1 shows a view of Paradise Row taken in 2017. The space on the left marked 1 shows the location of number 1 which was demolished about the 1960s (it does not appear on a map dated about 1970).
The rest of this account focuses on the Hutchinson family, some of whom lived in 1 Paradise Row.
George Hutchinson 1 born 20th September 1768, was the son of George Hutchinson who had gained 1 Paradise Row from John Scurfield after 1760. George jun. married Charlotte Barbara Dawson of Tanfield, County Durham on 19th May 1793. His children were:
George Thomas born 15th March 1794
Charles Francis born 23rd July 1796
Charlotte who born 19th September 1799 and died April 29th 1804
Catherine Mary born 27th October 1801 who married Joze Luis Fernandes, grandson of the
Marquis of Tavora.
Thomas Henry born 3rd May 1803
It should be noted that this George Hutchinson was:
a) a great grandson of Thomas Hutchinson (b1661) of Cornforth, County Durham who purchased the Whitton Estate probably before his own marriage in 1705.
b) an uncle of George William Sutton (formerly Hutchinson) of Elton Hall.
c) a 5th cousin of William Hutchinson author of a History of County Durham, a resident of Barnard Castle.
d) a cousin of Mary Hutchinson the wife of William Wordsworth. The Wordsworths visited Stockton around 1807/8 probably staying with Mary’s brother, John Hutchinson in West Row. William Wordsworth may have written part of his “The White Doe of Rylstone” at this time (ref. B page 112).
e) a grandson of Henry Hutchinson and Mary Scurfield (married in 1728).
George Hutchinson had succeeded his father in 1804 and was elected mayor 2 of Stockton in 1805 and 1806 by his fellow burgesses. His father, also called George, had been Mayor 2 in 1775 and 1776. George (Senior) died 21st February 1804 aged 74.
Sara Hutchinson a sister of Mary Wordsworth and so a cousin of George Hutchinson wrote frequently to her siblings, especially John, who farmed at Grassy Nook (off the Sadberge Road, 2 miles from Stockton) and had a house in West Row, Stockton. She also visited John in Stockton. At one time, two of Sara’s other brothers Thomas and George, farmed at Sockburn. In 1821 when writing to Mary Wordsworth, her sister, Sara stated that “Stockton is the same as ever - bright and clean and dull!” 3. Sadly for the Hutchinsons this soon proved to be a very inaccurate remark.
On 31st January 1824 a robbery 4 took place at Stockton on Tees outside the Vane Arms where horses were being changed on the York to South Shields Mail Coach. John Dobson a clerk of the Tees Bank had care of a leather portmanteau which contained bills, notes and cheques worth almost £8500 in total according to one newspaper report, and relating to London banks and country banks such as the Tees Bank. For those interested in the details of this, an account appears elsewhere on Stockton Heritage website as well as in “Local Records of Stockton-upon-Tees and Neighbourhood” by Thomas Richmond.
Worse was to follow. Having founded the Tees Bank in1785 and traded successfully for more than 40 years it must have been another traumatic experience for the Hutchinsons when the bank failed and they were declared bankrupt in 1826/27. It would have been of little comfort that many private banks failed at this time. The difficulties caused by this early financial crash were a major factor in subsequent banking reforms e.g. the development of joint stock banks outside London.
For those interested in the banking failures of the time there are numerous sources of information. Regarding the Tees Bank in particular, more details can be found online 5.
In order to meet their debts, the Hutchinsons were obliged to sell some of their assets. In 1827 the following sale description appeared in the press: 6
A copyhold mansion house:
dining room, drawing room, breakfast parlour, several lodging-rooms,
kitchens and servants’ quarters
garden, carriage house, stables
various buildings linked to timber trade
two areas of grassland
In the sale notice, this property is described as the former residence of George Hutchinson, one of the founders of the Tees Bank (one of the agents involved in the sale, was his son-in-law, J.L. Fernandes of Wakefield).
With the sale of his property 1 Paradise Row, George Hutchinson returned to the family home at Whitton House. W.D. Bayley also records that the Hutchinsons lived at 1 Paradise Row until the time of their bankruptcy, having acquired the property from the Scurfields.
The 1841 Census 7 recorded George and his wife, Charlotte, living at Whitton. George Hutchinson died May 19th, 1856 aged 87 as recorded in the parish register of Stockton St. Thomas.
To conclude this particular research here is another comment from Sara Hutchinson, this time she was writing after the death of the last Miss Scurfield:
“She had far better have given us, her next heirs, a share – as we were sure to have done credit to it – She might also have had a sister feeling for some of her maiden cousins !” 8
According to Sara Hutchinson, Miss Scurfield left a large sum of money.8
John Hutchinson, Sara’s brother was also involved in the Tees Bank debacle in 1826. Like his cousins George and Henry, he had to sell his assets to pay his debts e.g. Grassy Nook Farm and a house in West Row, Stockton. The sale notice appeared in the press on 12th August 1826 6. In the same sale notice Henry’s house on the Square in Stockton, was also listed. John Hutchinson died August 31st, 1833 aged 64.
REFERENCES
General :
Sowler, Tom “A History of the Town and Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, 1972
Richmond, Thomas “Local Records of Stockton-upon-Tees and Neighbourhood”, 1868
Brewster, John “The Parochial History and Antiquities of Stockton upon Tees, 1796”
“The Parochial history and antiquities of Stockton upon Tees, 1829”
Heavisides, Henry “The Annals of Stockton-on-Tees with biographical notes”, 1865
Various Trade Directories
More specific :
- See www.ancestry.co.uk and other sources e.g. family search
- See A page 427/428
- “The letters of Sara Hutchinson from 1800 to 1835” edited by Kathleen Coburn, 1954
- Online at www.findmypast /newspapers
- Online: Reports of Cases in Bankruptcy: Argued and Determined in the Court ..., Volume 4 by Edward Erastus Deacon, Edward Chitty.
- Online at www.findmypast /newspapers
- See www.ancestry.co.uk and other sources e.g. family search
- See 3