Celebrating Hampshire Historians

Duthy, John

2/12/1771 - 22/11/1834 (burial)

He was the only son of a namesake father, who was prominent lawyer in the county, Clerk of the Peace to Winchester Court, Deputy Clerk to the Bishopric of Winchester, and Receiver General of Land Taxes in Hampshire. He owned New House Ropley, (still standing, renamed Ropley House) built by an earlier owner in the mid-1700s, and a substantial estate. Duthy senior died in 1784, and so his son, who had been educated at Charterhouse School, was already in line for an inheritance when in 1787 he went up to St John’s College, Cambridge. He did not graduate, but after seven terms migrated, as many lawyers did, to an inn of court, Lincoln’s Inn in London. He practised as a solicitor, married Harriet Ann (surname not known), and raised a considerable family. In 1797 he served as a Captain in the Provisional Cavalry of North and South Alton (HRO, Q21/6/1). Like many country gentlemen, he took an interest in national politics as it affected the locality, and in 1815, in his capacity as a magistrate – and probably a deputy lieutenant – wrote A Short Address to the Inhabitants of Hampshire on the Corn Trade and the Present Situation of the British Farmer (British Library Catalogue: HRO, HP265).

It must be imagined that he spent much of his time managing his estate – certainly, his will refers to ‘freehold copyhold and leasehold messuages farms lands tenements and woodlands and …real estate … and funds mortgages and securities  [etc]’. Five years after he died his Sketches of Hampshire, was published by Jacob and Johnson, publishers of the Hampshire Chronicle (reprinted in 1972 in Alresford by Laurence Oxley).  It is arranged as six rambles alongside the river Itchen, from its source to the sea at Southampton. An extremely wordy subtitle set in fonts of various sizes, no doubt written by the publishers, gives an outline of its contents, as shown below under ‘Relevant published works’.

Clearly, this was a book aimed at the country gent: it is ‘respectfully inscribed’ to, amongst others, the Duke of Wellington, the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, whom Duthy had served as a magistrate (HRO, Q27/3/147). However, he was clearly aiming to write more than a popular work of topography: there are extensive accounts of the histories of many places, with quotes in Latin and even Anglo-Saxon from major sources. Extensive indexes – still useful for historiography – cover persons (13 pp.), subjects (10 pp) and sources (4 pp.). Although it only dealt with one waterway, the preface makes clear that he intended to cover ‘the other Rivers of Hampshire’ but was prevented from doing so by ‘domestic affliction and a rapidly declining state of health’. Nonetheless, the publishers assured readers that they can be assured of the ‘accuracy of his general information, clearness of his judgement, [and] refinement of his taste’.  Duthy had not completed the work (especially for Hursley and North Baddesley) and so the ‘researches and talents of a gentleman fully qualified for the task’ were employed by the publishers, without naming him.

There is an intriguing story about the Duthy family, told by the Ropley Society, as follows:

‘The 18th century Squire of what is now Ropley Grove, Major Lavender, JP, churchwarden, and member of the Hunt, was a leading smuggler, and his hidden cellar was not discovered until 1928. Reportedly whilst visited by unwelcome excise officers he wined, dined and delayed them till his groom could hide the contraband. Young Mr Duthy of Ropley House was also reportedly involved, using his father’s horses at night to help the smugglers, and on his father finding out he was ordered out of the house, but his sisters helped him out with money and food which they let down to him at night from their bedroom window.’

Another source (Country Life) sets these incidents in the ‘early 19th century’, in which case the ‘young Mr Duthy’ was one of John Duthy’s sons.

Sources

• Hampshire Garden Trust


• Ropley Society


• Country Life, 21 January 2010


• Sketches of Hampshire can be found online


• Alumni Cantabrigiensis


• Will of John Duthy (1771-1834): TNA/PROB-11/1839/359

Portrait

None known.

Contribution to county’s history

He set a high standard for using and citing sources, coupled with a personal knowledge of the area, and produced a book that continues to be readable. It provides a detailed picture of the material that was available at the time and how it might be used to advance the study of local history.  

Relevant published works

• Sketches of Hampshire: embracing the architectural antiquities &c of country adjacent to the river Itchen; with plates of seats and of the tessellated pavement at Bramdean; vignettes representing the objects most worthy of attention; and a map of the country visited in the several morning rambles
  1839, Jacob & Johnson, Winchester; 1972, Laurence Oxley, Alresford    

Critical Comments

The hand of commercial publishing is apparent: for obvious reasons Jacob & Johnson chose to call it Sketches of Hampshire, whereas it in fact it only dealt with one river!

Other Comments

Although, some of the history in Sketches of Hampshire does not now stand up to close scrutiny, it was a serious attempt and must have provided a useful basis for the more forensic work of VCH authors.

The Ropley History Network & Archive, hosted by the Ropley Society, is not able to add to the profile, but will post it on their website.

Contributor

Barry Shurlock, 20 05 25

Keywords

Any queries or further suggestions for this part of the list should be addressed to celebrating@hantsfieldclub.org.uk.

Back to Historians D-F from Dacre, M to Fussell, W E