HILL, THOMAS (1808–1865), topographer, born in 1808, entered in 1828 Clare Hall, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1830, and M.A. in 1832. He took holy orders in 1833, was assistant classical master at Mercers' School from 1832 to 1850, and was presented to the living of Holy Trinity, Queenhithe, London, in 1850. He was author of ‘The Harmony of the Greek and Latin Languages,’ London, 12mo, 1841, and ‘History of the Nunnery of St. Clare and the parish of Holy Trinity,’ London, 8vo, 1851. Hill died at 30 Little Trinity Lane, 13 Feb. 1865, aged 57.
[Crockford's Clerical Directory; Brit. Mus. Cat.; Gent. Mag. 1865, pt. i. p. 385.]
HILL, THOMAS FORD (d. 1795), antiquary, was the son of a glove manufacturer at Worcester. He was a quaker, and intended for a commercial life. After serving an apprenticeship at Pontefract, he was taken into the house of Messrs. Dawson & Walker in Cornhill, London, but abandoned business for literature and antiquities. In 1780 he made an antiquarian tour through Scotland. In 1784 he visited the continent, residing at Geneva to learn French, and afterwards exploring the mountainous districts of Savoy. His tour was in 1787 extended to Italy, for the purpose of antiquarian studies. He was abroad five years, during which he made the acquaintance of eminent men of learning, and of Cardinal Borgia and Prince Kaunitz. He made two other journeys to the continent in 1791 and 1792, when he travelled through a great part of Germany, and also visited Paris. In 1792 he was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. In 1794 he went again to Italy, and died on 16 July 1795 at Ariano, worn out by the difficulties he had encountered in his journey to Calabria in that year.
During his tour in Scotland in 1780 Hill collected many Erse songs, some of which appeared, together with a notice of his tour, in the ‘Gentleman's Magazine’ (1782 p. 570, 1783 i. 33, 36, 140, 398, 489, ii. 590), as also did a letter of his on the Ossian controversy (1782, pp. 570–1). The poems were afterwards published separately, under the title of ‘Ancient Erse Songs,’ 1784. The only other work of Hill was ‘Observations on the Politics of France, and their Progress since the Last Summer,’ which was published in 1792. His portrait was painted at Rome in 1787 by Gavin Hamilton (1730–1797) [q. v.]
[Gent. Mag. 1795 pt. ii. p. 704, 789, 1796 pt. i. pp. 126–31; Nichols's Literary Anecdotes, viii. 154.]
HILL, Sir THOMAS NOEL (1784–1832), colonel, seventh son of Sir John Hill, third baronet of Hawkstone, Shropshire, and younger brother of General Lord Hill [see Hill, Rowland, Viscount Hill], was born 14 Feb. 1784, and entered the army 25 Sept. 1801 as cornet 10th light dragoons (afterwards 10th hussars), in which he became lieutenant in 1803 and captain in 1805. He exchanged to the 53rd foot the year after, and on 16 Feb. 1809 was appointed major in the Portuguese army under Marshal Beresford. He commanded the first Portuguese regiment at the battle of Busaco, the siege and capture of Ciudad Rodrigo, the battles of Salamanca and Vittoria, and the capture of St. Sebastian. He was appointed captain and lieutenant-colonel 1st foot-guards (Grenadier guards) 25 July, and was knighted 28 July 1814. He served as assistant adjutant-general in the Waterloo campaign. He retired from the guards on half-pay, 27 May 1824. He was deputy adjutant-general in Canada in 1827–30, and was afterwards appointed commandant of the cavalry depot, Maidstone, where he died on 4 Jan. 1832.
Hill was a K.C.B., and had the orders of the Tower and Sword of Portugal and of Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria. He married, on 27 July 1821, Anna Maria Shore, fourth daughter of the first Lord Teignmouth, by whom he had six surviving children.
[Army Lists; Philippart's Royal Military Cal. 1820, iv.; Gent. Mag. 1832, pt. i. 84, 650.]
HILL, THOMAS WRIGHT (1763–1851), schoolmaster and stenographer, born at Kidderminster on 24 April 1763, was the son of a baker and dealer in horse-corn. His forefathers for three generations had been freeholders and tradesmen of Kidderminster, being descended from Walter Hill, a landowner of Abberley, Worcestershire (d. 1693). They claimed relationship with Samuel Butler, author of ‘Hudibras.’ Thomas received part of his education at a school kept by Dr. Addington, a dissenting minister, at Market Harborough, Leicestershire, and was afterwards removed to the grammar school of his native town. In early childhood he developed a taste for literature, and interested himself in mathematics, astronomy, and na-
