Hutton started to learn fencing at the age of twelve at the fencing school in St James' Street from Henry Charles Angelo the Younger (1780-1852), appointed Superintendent of Sword Exercise in the Army (1833-1852), author of "Infantry Sword Exercise" (1845), which remained the standard Army reference book for sword instruction on foot for 50 years. This school was established by Domenico Angelo Malevolti Tremamondo (1716-1802), renowned Italian fencing master from Leghorn, author of the classic treatise on small sword "L’École des armes" (1763, "The School of Fencing"). Alfred's father was a pupil of Henry Angelo "the elder" (1756-1835), son of the founder of this fencing dynasty, Domenico Angelo.