Born at Nottingham on 10 February 1825, he was seventh child in a family of seven sons and three daughters of Richard Sutton (1789-1856) of Nottingham, bookseller, printer and proprietor of the Nottingham Review, by his wife Sarah, daughter of Thomas Salt, farmer, of Stanton by Dale, Derbyshire.
Sutton was educated at a private school in Nottingham and at Leicester grammar school.
He became an expert shorthand writer Foreign a short period he took a position as a journalist in Colchester. In 1849, on Ralph Waldo Emerson"s recommendation, Alexander Ireland found Sutton employment as a journalist in Manchester, and in 1853 he became chief of the Manchester Examiner and Times reporting staff
Sutton joined the United Kingdom Alliance on its foundation at Manchester in 1853, and was editor of its weekly journal, the Alliance News, from its start in 1854 until 1898, contributing leading articles till his death.
He was also editor from 1859 to 1869 of Meliora, a quarterly journal devoted to social and temperance reform. Sutton died at 18 Yarburgh Street, Moss Side, Manchester, on 2 May 1901, and was buried at Worsley.
He became close to Patmore from about 1844, and they kept up a long corresponce on literary and religious subjects. Emerson visited Sutton at Nottingham next year.
They met again in Manchester in 1872.
Another correspondent was William Allingham. Sutton was twice married:
in May 1870 to Mary Sophia Ewen, who survived him without issue till April 1910.
