Reverend Matthew Hutton

Born and bred in Norfolk, Matthew was brought up on the family farm which he has managed since his father’s death in 1984, most recently with his working farmer son David.

After a classical education, Matthew qualified as a solicitor with Linklaters & Paines in the City of London. Qualifying in 1979, he specialised first in Corporate Tax and then switched to Private Client Tax and Trusts. It was this which was to be his professional passion until his retirement on hitting 60 in September 2013, first as an Assistant Solicitor with Linklaters & Paines. He then moved back to Norwich for two years in 1987, before setting up his own practice as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, advising firms of solicitors and accountants on behalf of their own clients, much like a specialist tax barrister. He took up writing and lecturing on tax – and even today maintains a fascination for Inheritance Tax, though he no longer advises.

Having started a Theology Degree at St Mellitus College in 2010 as an independent student, Matthew sensed a call to ordination and he was ordained in the Church of England in 2014 as a self-supporting deacon and in 2015 priest.

Continuing to work with his son David on the farm and serving as an Anglican Priest in Norwich, Matthew’s latest project is his book Your Last Gift – Getting Your Affairs in Order which he published in December 2022 and wrote a 2nd Edition in March 2024: see www.yourlastgiftgbook.com. Matthew discovered that on bereavement very many people were staggered by all the practical things which have to be done, while at the same time having to shoulder the heavy burden of grief. Why not get things ready in advance of death, he thought, so he wrote the book. The whole subject has become something of a passion and he finds himself frequently being asked to speak about it.

Since 2020 Matthew has been a Deputy Lieutenant of Norfolk. Matthew’s other interests include: ending Violence Against Women (having been a Founder Trustee of the Christian charity Restored in 2010), helping prison leavers (having chaired the Trustees of Community Chaplaincy Norfolk from 2019 to 2022) and supporting the homeless (being a member of the Advisory Board of St. Martin’s Housing in Norwich).

Matthew lives with his wife Annie on the family farm in South-East Norfolk. They have three children and three grandchildren.

Matthew is a long-standing friend of Yvonne who has followed AtaLoss at something of a distance and now welcomes the invitation to get more closely involved.