Rowland Hill (MP)
Encyclopedia
Sir Rowland Hill, of Soulton (c.1495–1561) was the first Protestant Lord Mayor of London
. He was a merchant, statesman and philanthropist.
mercer Thomas Kitson, and obtained his freedom in 1519. He then became a leading merchant adventurer, with the centre of his business operations being in the parish of St Stephen Walbrook
, where he owned a property fronting onto Walbrook
. He was churchwarden
of St Stephens between 1525 and 1526.
Hill was prominent in the affairs of the Mercers' Company. He was warden between 1535–6, and between 1543-4 and 1550-51 and 1555-6.
of the City of London
. During this period, for a brief time (28–30 March 1542), he was imprisoned in the Tower of London
on the orders of the House of Commons, as a result of his ‘abuse’ of the Sergeant of Parliament sent to secure the release of George Ferrers
, a member of parliament imprisoned for debt in the Bread Street Counter. The King, Henry VIII
, took the side of the House of Commons in this case of member's privilege; however, he showed favour to Hill shortly after the affair by knighting him, on 18 May 1542. This was during the prorogation of the parliament.
Hill was elected to the Court of Aldermen
on 9 November 1542 and elected a Sheriff of the City of London for the same year.
In the wake of the coup d'état against Protector Somerset, Hill took over as Lord Mayor for the year beginning in November 1549 and was the first Protestant to hold that office. This was a period of substantial of religious uncertainty, but he oversaw some of the critical changes in the direction of godly Protestantism, including the removal of altars. His mayoralty witnessed a determined campaign against moral offences, the wardmote inquests being required in April 1550 to make fresh presentments of ill rule, ‘upon which indictments the lord mayor sat many times’ (Hume, 167–9). The crusade was controversial because of Hill's readiness to punish wealthy offenders. Perhaps because of this determined moralism, which seems to have owed something to pressure from the Protestant pulpits, and perhaps because of the coincidence of his mayoralty with a decisive turn in the English Reformation
, Hill is often described as the first Protestant lord mayor of London, but this tradition seems to date from no earlier than 1795, when a descendant, Sir Rowland Hill, Bt, erected an obelisk to his memory in Hawkstone Park, Shropshire.
He was one of the City's representatives in the first parliament of Queen Mary
's reign (October–December 1553). He endured a short spell of disfavour under Mary and was dropped from the commissions of the peace for Middlesex and Shropshire in 1554. He had, however, recovered the regime's confidence by 1557, when he was nominated as a commissioner for the investigation of heretics.
He was a committed member of the court of aldermen, and attended nearly two-thirds of the meetings in the reigns of both Edward VI and Mary.
Hill had a reputation for charitable virtue. In 1555 he established a school at Market Drayton in Shropshire. He was also closely involved with the establishment of the London hospitals. He was the president of Bridewell and Bethlem hospitals from 1557 to 1558 and again between 1559 and 1561, and he held the post of surveyor-general of the London hospitals from 1559 until his death.
His charity had a stern edge, for he also enjoyed a reputation as ‘a foe to vice and a vehement corrector’ (notes on his monument at St Stephen Walbrook, London, Mercers' Hall).
Hill was married by 1542, but the identity of his wife, who died during his mayoralty, is unknown. There were no surviving children. He died at midnight on 28 October 1561, and is in the parish church of St Stephen Walbrook.
There are 16th century portraits Rowland Hill in the Museum of London, and in Mercers' Hall, Ironmongers' Lane, London. There is a statue of him atop an obelisk
in Hawkstone Park
in Shropshire.
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
. He was a merchant, statesman and philanthropist.
Early Life
Hill was born in Hodnet, Shropshire, the eldest son of Thomas Hill. He was apprenticed to the LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
mercer Thomas Kitson, and obtained his freedom in 1519. He then became a leading merchant adventurer, with the centre of his business operations being in the parish of St Stephen Walbrook
St Stephen Walbrook
St Stephen, Walbrook is a small church in the City of London, part of the Church of England's Diocese of London. It is located in Walbrook, next to the Mansion House, and near to Bank and Monument Underground stations.-History:In the second century A.D...
, where he owned a property fronting onto Walbrook
Walbrook
Walbrook is the name of a ward, a street and a subterranean river in the City of London.-Underground river:The river played a key role in the Roman settlement of Londinium, the city now known as London. It is thought that the river was named because it ran through or under the London Wall; another...
. He was churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
of St Stephens between 1525 and 1526.
Hill was prominent in the affairs of the Mercers' Company. He was warden between 1535–6, and between 1543-4 and 1550-51 and 1555-6.
Public service
In 1541–2, he was elected sheriffSheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. During this period, for a brief time (28–30 March 1542), he was imprisoned in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
on the orders of the House of Commons, as a result of his ‘abuse’ of the Sergeant of Parliament sent to secure the release of George Ferrers
George Ferrers
George Ferrers was a courtier and writer. In an incident which arose in 1542 while he was a Member of Parliament for Plymouth in the Parliament of England, he played a key role in the development of parliamentary privilege.-Life:...
, a member of parliament imprisoned for debt in the Bread Street Counter. The King, Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, took the side of the House of Commons in this case of member's privilege; however, he showed favour to Hill shortly after the affair by knighting him, on 18 May 1542. This was during the prorogation of the parliament.
Hill was elected to the Court of Aldermen
Court of Aldermen
The Court of Aldermen is an elected body forming part of the City of London Corporation. The Court of Aldermen is made up of the twenty five Aldermen of the City of London, presided over by the Lord Mayor...
on 9 November 1542 and elected a Sheriff of the City of London for the same year.
In the wake of the coup d'état against Protector Somerset, Hill took over as Lord Mayor for the year beginning in November 1549 and was the first Protestant to hold that office. This was a period of substantial of religious uncertainty, but he oversaw some of the critical changes in the direction of godly Protestantism, including the removal of altars. His mayoralty witnessed a determined campaign against moral offences, the wardmote inquests being required in April 1550 to make fresh presentments of ill rule, ‘upon which indictments the lord mayor sat many times’ (Hume, 167–9). The crusade was controversial because of Hill's readiness to punish wealthy offenders. Perhaps because of this determined moralism, which seems to have owed something to pressure from the Protestant pulpits, and perhaps because of the coincidence of his mayoralty with a decisive turn in the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
, Hill is often described as the first Protestant lord mayor of London, but this tradition seems to date from no earlier than 1795, when a descendant, Sir Rowland Hill, Bt, erected an obelisk to his memory in Hawkstone Park, Shropshire.
He was one of the City's representatives in the first parliament of Queen Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
's reign (October–December 1553). He endured a short spell of disfavour under Mary and was dropped from the commissions of the peace for Middlesex and Shropshire in 1554. He had, however, recovered the regime's confidence by 1557, when he was nominated as a commissioner for the investigation of heretics.
He was a committed member of the court of aldermen, and attended nearly two-thirds of the meetings in the reigns of both Edward VI and Mary.
Private life
Hill also retained substantial in the Welsh marches, and acquired extensive estates in Shropshire, Cheshire, Flintshire, and Staffordshire; between 1539 and 1547 he purchased large quantities of former monastic property including Haughmand Abbey. His power in his native county was reflected in his appearance on the Shropshire commission of the peace between 1543 and 1554.Hill had a reputation for charitable virtue. In 1555 he established a school at Market Drayton in Shropshire. He was also closely involved with the establishment of the London hospitals. He was the president of Bridewell and Bethlem hospitals from 1557 to 1558 and again between 1559 and 1561, and he held the post of surveyor-general of the London hospitals from 1559 until his death.
His charity had a stern edge, for he also enjoyed a reputation as ‘a foe to vice and a vehement corrector’ (notes on his monument at St Stephen Walbrook, London, Mercers' Hall).
Hill was married by 1542, but the identity of his wife, who died during his mayoralty, is unknown. There were no surviving children. He died at midnight on 28 October 1561, and is in the parish church of St Stephen Walbrook.
There are 16th century portraits Rowland Hill in the Museum of London, and in Mercers' Hall, Ironmongers' Lane, London. There is a statue of him atop an obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
in Hawkstone Park
Hawkstone Park
Hawkstone Park is an historic landscape park with pleasure grounds and gardens formerly belonging to Hawkstone Hall, near to Market Drayton, in Shropshire, England, UK, one mile east of the A49 road....
in Shropshire.