Hutton Magna lies in the south of Durham to the south-east of Barnard Castle. It was in fact in North Yorkshire until 1974. It sits in a wide rolling landscape of lush farmland. The village itself is a single street of low stone cottages.

The village of Hutton was first recorded in the Domesday book in AD1086. The name probably comes from the Old English for 'farm on a hill". The word 'magna' comes from the Latin for large. This distinguishes the village from the hamlet of Little Hutton, a short distance to the east. The remains of some medieval settlement can be seen to the south of the church. A number of earthworks are probably the remains of field boundaries. The present church of St Mary's was built in 1878, replacing a possible 11th or 12th century church.