Who was Peter Orlando Hutchinson?
Born in Winchester in 1810, Peter Orlando Hutchinson was a little known Victorian antiquary who, as a benefactor with a modest income and no need to work for a living, spent all his adult life in Sidmouth pursuing a vast and diverse range of interests.
Today, his studies and observations of local geology and archaeology are of great cultural value. As an artist and ceaseless, devoted recorder of everything he heard and saw around him, his illustrated diaries and documents provide an immensely valuable information source for Devon landscape studies.
Supported by Heritage Lottery Funds, the ‘In the Footsteps of Peter Orlando Hutchinson’ project aimed to:
- To engage local communities and volunteers, helping them understand changes in the landscape and to discover or re-discover their local heritage.
- To increase partnership working.
- To make archive resources more readily accessible.
The project was steered by the National Landscape team with lead volunteers – Phil Planel and Pete Youngman, Martin Smith, Jill Cobley, Barbara Farquharson, Cressida Whitton, Nigel Hyman, Bob Symes, John Draisey, Ron Woodcock, John Rees, Jenny Moon and Mike Green. The project began in 2010 and ended in 2013.
Peter Orlando Hutchinson Sketches
These watercolours and drawings have appeared in specialist studies and many more have appeared as an accompaniment to Jeremy Butler’s edited version of the POH diaries. Others have never been seen by the public and include, for example, Hutchinson’s Normandy output.
Scans may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes provided permission is sought from the South West Heritage Trust. Illustrations must be credited to the South West Heritage Trust and the East Devon National Landscape.
Should you wish to consult the original then you’ll need to access the Devon Heritage Centre index of Hutchinson illustrations – showing the access number, the title and the date. To find that reference number, view this spreadsheet.
Sketches from across the East Devon National Landscape
Peter Orlando Hutchinson Diaries
Peter’s diaries have been kept for many years in the Devon Record Office (DRO) strong rooms, occasionally consulted by researchers and writers. Jack Hillman, a DRO volunteer, has made digital images of the entire diaries, running to well over 2000 pages, as a shared resource for the DRO and the East Devon National Landscape.
Much of the archaeological and topographical content of the diaries already exists in print in two excellent collections edited by Jeremy Butler. However, other elements, such as landscape, agricultural and economic information, family histories, political comment etc. do not always feature in the edited version, neither do all Hutchinson’s humorous and other asides on his life and times; all of which you can now discover for yourselves.
View the handwritten content has also been transcribed and can be read via this PDF.
Diary entries
History of Sidmouth
Hutchinson’s History of Sidmouth comprises 5 volumes, none of which were ever published. Hutchinson wrote them between 1871 and 1877 at a time when his both his understanding and the quality of his illustrations were at their peak.
Unpublished history
In partnership with the Devon Heritage Centre we have scanned the first volume of the History as this is the volume that is most relevant to the work of the POH project.In fact the History strays a little beyond Sidmouth and the Sid Vale, just as does the project itself and includes such sites as Berry/Bury camp.
Scans may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes provided permission is sought from the South West Heritage Trust (SWHT). Illustrations must be credited to the SWHT and the East Devon National Landscape.