Thomas Hutchinson (governor) - Exile

Exile

Upon his arrival in London, Hutchinson was granted an audience with the king, who questioned him on affairs in North America, and was well received by Lord Rockingham, the colonial secretary, and Lord North, the prime minister. He was criticised by the Whigs in Parliament, which he answered in an unpublished manuscript. He continued to be treated favourably by the king, and was compelled to refuse the offer of a baronetcy because most of his fortune was lost due to his exile. On 4 July 1776, Hutchinson was awarded an honorary doctorate of law by Oxford University. His enemies in Massachusetts continued to attack his reputation, and his exile made it impossible to dispute the charges they made. His properties (like those of other exiled Loyalists) were seized and sold off by the state; his Milton home was eventually purchased by James and Mercy Otis Warren (the latter being the sister of his long-time enemy James Otis, Jr.)

Bitter and disillusioned about the state of affairs, and grieving the loss of his daughter Peggy in 1777, Hutchinson continued to work on his history of the colony which was the fruit of many decades of research. Two volumes were published in his lifetime: Volume 1 of the History of Massachusetts appeared in 1764, and Volume 2 in 1767. The third volume would be published posthumously, and included his own tenure as lieutenant governor and governor. At the same time he worked to complete a history of the Hutchinson family, in which he encapsulated details on political affairs not found elsewhere. He suffered a stroke and died at Brompton, now a part of London, on 3 June 1780, aged 68, and was buried at Croydon.