Hutton, Richard

Singer

Collection date: Jul 1913

Area: Yorkshire

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Richard Hutton at Goathland (1848-1931): age 65, 2 songs ‘Scarborough Fair’ (FT2868) on 14 July 1913 and ‘Miller of the Dee’ (FT2966) on 16 June 1914: For his book (‘Traditional Tunes’ 1891) Frank Kidson had collected one version of ‘Scarborough Fair’ from Mr A.Wardhill of Goathland (p172) and another from a ballad singer in Whitby (p42). The former singer was actually Allan Wardill (1855-1931), who was a railwayman and left Goathland with his family to move to Redcar (1901) and then Redmarshall, nr Stockton-on-Tees (1911). Sharp found Mr Huttton instead in 1913 and met him again in 1914:

Goathland is on the North Yorkshire moors, 9 miles inland from Whitby. In January 1912 Sharp had obtained the sword dance from Sleights (5 miles away) and was in the general area again in early 1913. He then collected the Goathland sword dance on 14 July, the same day that he first met Hutton.

Richard Parkinson Hutton was born in October qr 1848 and baptized at Fylingdales on 14/1/1849. He was the second of 13 children of Johnson Hutton, farmer and his wife Rebecca. Richard married Mary Ann Pennock of Goathland on 17/9/1869 and they settled in the village, where Richard set up as a joiner and master wheelwright. They had 11 children. Richard changed jobs and became manager of the nearby whinstone quarry at Grosmont. This was a newly established venture. Whinstone is extremely hard volcanic stone, which was in demand for road-building. A special tramway was built to take the extracted stone down hill to Goathland rail station*. Ponies pulled the empty trucks back to the quarry. Steam equipment came in and Richard’s eldest son operated a steam crane on site. He took over as manager from his father.

Richard Hutton died on 5/7/1931 at Barnett House, Goathland aged 82, leaving £1,224.

* Goathland station was on the North Yorkshire Moors railway line from Whitby to Pickering (built by George Stephenson in 1836). It is now a heritage line.