William Hutchins was born on , at Ansley, Warwickshire, England and was the second son of the Reverend Joseph Hutchins. Hutchins was well educated, first at Atherstone Grammar School and then at Pembroke College, Cambridge where he obtained a BA () and MA () in Mathematics. Hutchins followed in his father’s footsteps and was ordained by the Church of England shortly after graduation.
In , Hutchins was appointed as the first Archdeacon of Van Diemen’s Land (later renamed Tasmania). His devotion to the Church of England saw him work tirelessly to establish a faithful ministry, erecting churches and schools for the improvement of the hearts and minds of his flock.
During his tenure as Archdeacon, Hutchins often clashed with Sir John Franklin, Governor of Tasmania regarding the future of education in the colony as Hutchins felt that it was solely the role of the church to educate the colonists.
In , Hutchins married Rachel Owen. Unfortunately, his early death on meant that Rachel became a widow within a year of the nuptials. Hutchins had devoted himself to the cause of education until the end and, quite fittingly, the first meeting regarding the establishment of a school in his honour was held immediately following his funeral on .
We are confident that Archdeacon Hutchins would approve wholeheartedly with the School’s Strategic Direction regarding faith – A Christian life, as a response to Jesus Christ, is commended and encouraged at Hutchins. We express our Christian values in welcoming and respecting members of all faiths, beliefs and traditions.
References
Mason-Cox, M. (2013). Character unbound: A history of The Hutchins School. The Hutchins School.
Dollery, E. M. (first published in hardcopy 1966). ‘Hutchins, William (1792–1841)’. Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved from https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hutchins-william-2216.
