Sir Noël Kilpatrick Hutton, GCB, QC (27 December 1907 – 14 June 1984) was a British parliamentary draftsman.

Early life

Hutton was born on 27 December 1907 to William Hutton."Hutton, Sir Noël (Kilpatrick)"
''Who Was Who'' (online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2007). Retrieved 7 November 2018. He attended

Fettes College Fettes College () is a co-educational independent boarding and day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, with over two-thirds of its pupils in residence on campus. The school was originally a boarding school for boys only and became co-ed in 1983. In ...

before going up to

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the unive ...

, where he studied classics, winning the Gaisford Greek Verse Prize and the

Craven Scholarship Craven may refer to: * Craven in the Domesday Book, an area of Yorkshire, England, larger area than the district ** Craven District, a local government district of North Yorkshire formed in 1974 Places * Craven, New South Wales, Australia, see ...

."Sir Noel Hutton", ''The Times'' (London), 15 June 1984, p. 12.

Career

Called to the bar in 1932, Hutton worked in the Chancery Chambers before joining the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel in 1938. He was appointed Second Parliamentary Counsel in 1953, and promoted to First Parliamentary Counsel three years later, serving until retirement in 1968. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' recorded that as a parliamentary draftsman "he had all the qualities for success in this esoteric but hugely important field"; he also ran his office with patience and had a wry sense of humour. He had been appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

in 1950, and was promoted in 1957 to Knight Commander and then in 1966 to Knight Grand Cross, the order's highest grade. He

took silk In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or a ...

in 1962 and was made a

bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher ca ...

of Lincoln's Inn in 1967. Hutton had rowed for Oxford in his university days; throughout his life he enjoyed cars, cricket, golf and skiing. He died on 14 June 1984, leaving a widow (Virginia, daughter of Sir George Young, 4th Baronet) and four children.

Likenesses

* One photographic portrait of Hutton (by Walter Bird, 1961) is kept in the National Portrait Gallery, London (reference no
NPGx168514
.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hutton, Noel 1907 births 1984 deaths Members of Lincoln's Inn Alumni of University College, Oxford Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath British King's Counsel 20th-century English lawyers 20th-century King's Counsel