He was a historian and a most outstanding personality of his day.

Mr. Fawcett, or Major Fawcett, as his friends knew him had but a scanty elementary education.  He saved his coppers to buy books and at an early age walked from Satley to Dipton to take lessons in Hebrew and Latin.  At 12 years of age he was rate collector in the Butsfield township.  At the age of 13 he could speak 14 different languages, and by the age of 25 he could speak 33 foreign languages.  When he was 14 he passed an examination for a higher education at the Model School Durham.  When he was 18 he gained the position of Spanish interpreter at Malta for which there were 2000 candidates from English universities.  He held several degrees from various universities around the world.

For 17 years, as a young man, he was on the staff of Lord Kitchener as an interpreter in the Sudan and Egyptian campaigns.  During that time he visited the High Courts of Justice in Spain, Italy and Egypt.  He spoke highly of Lord Kitchener who had been his friend and companion for many years.

He emigrated to Australia and was Member of Parliament for the Kennedy district of New South Wales and a few years later he was Chief Stipendiary Magistrate at Kennedy.  When he lived in Queensland he was warden at St. Peter's Church and entertained a preacher to lunch.  The preacher had returned to Australia after having completed 25 years service as a missionary in India.  Some years later when he returned home to Satley, Mr. Fawcett met the vicar of the church and to his surprise discovered he was the missionary he had met in Queensland, the Rev. Thomas Lewis John Warneford, whose grandson was Lieutenant R.A.J. Warneford VC.

For some years he lived in Consett, but he preferred his little cottage in Satley, where with his books he loved to delve into ancient history.  There are quite a few classics from his pen, published histories, that are invaluable to the student of local history.  There are quite a few classics from his pen, published histories, that are invaluable to the student of local history  His book on the Derwent Valley is one.  He had a wonderful insight and loved to delve into the past tracing records and old manuscripts.  In his cottage at Satley he had round him many old records and  much valuable data, and it is due to him that much of our history is known and kept alive.  He was a remarkable naturalist too and lectured on all branches of natural history to local clubs, travelling on foot from Satley and returning late at night as he found it difficult to end his lectures as he had so much to tell.  He became secretary of the Durham Historical Society and among his many books he compiled the Registers of Satley, Lanchester and Muggleswick.  He claimed to have intimate knowledge of every town and village in County Durham.

Unfortunately after living such a useful, busy and full life, he had to eke out an existence as best he could, as he had no pension from the government.  He was the last member of his family to have connections with Satley since 1596.  He lived in a little stone cottage called Satley Grange, and died in Holly Cottage, Satley on 24th March 1942 aged 76 years.  He is laid to rest in the churchyard of the village he loved so well