Rowland Hill (MP)

Sir Rowland Hill of Soulton was an English polymath, statesman, merchant, and philanthropist. He was a central figure in the publishing and later historiography of the Geneva Bible. While traditionally identified as its 'publisher,' his primary role was that of a high-level patron and state official; as a Commissioner for Ecclesiastical Causes under Elizabeth I, he held the legal authority to oversee and authorize the circulation of religious texts during the Elizabthan settlement.
Hill is remembered as the first Protestant Lord Mayor of London. A prominent figure during the reigns of four Tudor monarchs, he was instrumental in the political and religious shifts of the English Reformation. His legacy is defined by his extensive charitable works, his patronage of the arts, and his status as the likely inspiration for the character "Old Sir Rowland" in William Shakespeare's play As You Like It.

Early life

Born in Hodnet, Shropshire, around 1495, Rowland Hill came from an ancient local family with connections to Court of Hill near Hope Bagot and Burford. He was the elder son of Thomas Hill and Margaret Wilbraham, daughter of Thomas Wilbraham of Woodhey, Cheshire.
He had a younger brother, William, and four sisters, Agnes, Joan, Jane and Elizabeth. A branch of his family later became the Viscounts Hill.
As a young man, he was apprenticed to a London mercer, Sir Thomas Kitson, Hill was admitted to the Freedom of the Mercers' Company in 1519. He quickly rose to a position of influence within the city. Hill rose to prominence in the City, becoming an Alderman in 1542, and the Worshipful Company of Mercers, serving as Warden for 1535/36, then as Master Mercer for four terms in 1542/43, 1549/50, 1554/55 and 1560/61.
His mercantile career wasn't without risks. In 1538, a ship carrying his cargo was pillaged by Norwegian pirates, resulting in a significant loss of £10,000. Hill and his fellow merchants appealed to Thomas Cromwell for assistance from King Henry VIII, with correspondence from Thomas Thacker to Cromwell recording:

One Mody's ship, with goods of merchants of London, "from the mart," is taken by pirates of Norway, to the loss to Sir Ralph Waryn, good Mr. Lock, Rowland Hyll, and others, of 10,000.

Hill and his fellow merchant ventures suffered a loss of £10,000. The ship was recovered but not the cargo.

Public offices and political career

Hill witnessed the surrender of St Bartholomew's Priory to Sir Richard Rich in 1539.
Hill's rise in London politics continued with his election as Sheriff of London for 1541-1542. During this period, he was briefly imprisoned in the Tower of London after obstructing the release of a Member of Parliament who was in debt, an event that highlighted the issue of parliamentary privilege. Despite this, King Henry VIII knighted him shortly after the incident, demonstrating royal favour.
He was elected Lord Mayor of London in 1549, a time of significant religious and political change. Hill oversaw reforms that moved the city toward Protestantism, including the removal of altars. Recent historical research suggests that during this process, Hill secretly preserved the High Altar stone of "Old" St Paul’s Cathedral and the relics of Saint Erkenwald, moving them to his estate at Soulton Hall in Shropshire. He was known as "a good minister of justice" and his mayoralty included a determined campaign against moral offenses.
Hill's career was remarkable for his ability to navigate the dangerous political shifts between the reigns of different monarchs:

Edward VI: He was as a close friend of Sir Thomas Bromley, a member of the regency council. In the wake of the coup d'état against Lord Protector Somerset, Hill assumed the Lord Mayoralty for the year beginning in November 1549. This was a period of substantial religious uncertainty, but Hill oversaw some of the critical changes in the direction of godly Protestantism, including the removal of altars. Nevertheless, in 1549, as Lord Mayor at the height of the iconoclasm of the Reformation, Hill adjusted the route of his Lord Mayor's Day Procession and said a de profundis at the tomb of Bishop William.
Mary I: Hill was one of the City's representatives in Queen Mary's first parliament, temporarily replacing Sir Martin Bowe ; with Hill being regarded as a Protestant by many, Sir Robert Broke, Serjeant-at-Law, was considered the only remaining Catholic MP in London. The London delegation was said to have attended that Parliament with an entirely commercial agenda: toiling for legislation to regulate the City of London's physicians, chandlers in both wax and tallow, leather tanners and bowling alleys, as well as a measure to deregulate the sale of wine. Hill endured a short spell of disfavour under Queen Mary and was dropped from commissions of the peace for Middlesex and Shropshire in 1554. He regained the Crown's confidence, however, and in March 1556, when the Sir Henry Dudley conspiracy to depose Mary was discovered he was commissioned as a Justice for oyer and terminer, along with Sir William Garrard, along with Sir Roger Cholmeley, and the Recorder of London, Ralph Cholmeley. In June Sir John Gresham of Titsey took the place of Hill on the bench for the indictment of Silvestra Butler, in the same matter. Hill received from Queen Mary on behalf of the City of London in 1557, two seasoned bucks from Nonesuch Park. Intriguingly, this commission to collect such materials overlaps with the Geneva Bible project in which Hill was also involved. Nevertheless, later in the same year hearing the indictment of Sir Ralph Bagenal for treason.
Elizabeth I: after the accession of Elizabeth he helped put into execution the Act of Supremacy and the Act of Uniformity. It is remarkable highly unusual that Hill held commissions to seize prohibited books under both the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation.This unique record of holding commissions to seize prohibited books under both Catholic and Protestant rule is a testament to his political pragmatism.

Networks and associations

Sir Rowland Hill cultivated a wide network of influential friends and family throughout his life.Political and Business Associates: Hill was a close friend and executor of fellow merchant and alderman f Sir John Gresham, who provided him with a black gown to attend his funeral and whose executor he was.. He was also a "trusty friend" of Sir Thomas Seymour, and was given land at Hoxton for life under his Will. Hill was also an overseer for the wills of Sir George Barne, who was Lord Mayor at the death of Edward VI and William Lok. and received a piece of gold in the will of Chief Justice Sir Thomas Bromley ‘for a token of a remembrance for the old love and amity between him and me now by this my decease ended’. He was also an active member and Treasurer of the Company of Merchant Adventurers,Family Connections: Through his family's roots in Shropshire, Hill was connected to the Vernon and Stanley families. A notable link this furnishes is to Elizabeth Vernon, who married Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, a patron of William Shakespeare. He was a guest of the family at the burial of Sir Thomas Wriothesley.Religious Links: Bishop Nicholas Ridley referred to Hill in his farewell letter written before his execution.

Philanthropy

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 first President of Bridewell and Bethlehem 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. Along with Sir Martin Bowes, he prepared, in 1557, The Order of the Hospitals of King Henry the viijth, and King Edward the vjth, viz. St. Bartholomew, Christ's, Bridewell, St. Thomas's. By the Maior, Commonaltie, and Citizens of LONDON; Governours of the Possessions, Revenues, and Goods of the sayd Hospitals, Anno 1557."
Among Sir Rowland's civic and charitable works are to be found, with a focus in Shropshire in particular:

building at Atcham on the River Tern a new bridge in stone, along with two further timber bridges
annually clothing 300 of the poor
repairing Stoke Church
a dole to the poor of London

Hill also supported schools, the Bethlem asylum and the new Bridewell hospital. In 1557 the administration of Bethlem Royal Hospital became the responsibility of the Bridewell Governors. The office of President was established, Hill serving as its first.
He was founded exhibitions, and educated many students at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and supported scholars at the Inns of Court.
Hill shared his prominent role in the establishment of hospitals with Richard Grafton, who also had Shropshire heritage, and who was instrumental in printing the Great Bible.
Hill was also involved in the establishment of early labour exchanges and poverty relief.

Architectural Patronage and Allegory

Hill oversaw building projects characterized by the intellectual rigor of the early English Renaissance. His work at Soulton Hall and in London demonstrates an integration of architectural theory, religious protectionism, and classical philosophy.

Soulton Hall: The surviving corps de logis of Hill’s Shropshire estate is recognized for its highly symbolic design. Modern architectural analysis suggests the building functions as a "theatre of memory," incorporating Pythagorean geometry and Neo-Platonic allegories. Scholars have argued that the structure's proportions and "coded" features were intended to reflect the harmony of the Elizabethan Settlement and provide a safe space for intellectual dissent.
London Townhouse: In 1546, Hill acquired a significant townhouse at Frederick's Place in London. He engineered a physical connection between his private residence, the Mercers' Hall, and the Mercers' Chapel. This complex served as a secure hub for Hill’s mercantile and political activities. Notably, during the height of iconoclastic fervor, a major stone statue of Christ the Saviour was secretly interred within the chapel's foundations. Given Hill's dual role as a master of the Mercers' Company and a crown official, this concealment is widely interpreted as a deliberate act of preservation orchestrated by Hill to protect religious art from destruction.

Publishing activities

Patronage and Distribution of and Association with the Geneva Bible

Sir Rowland Hill occupies a prominent and debated role in the historiography of the Geneva Bible’s introduction to England. For centuries, he has been definitively cited as the primary publisher of the text; however, modern scholarship acknowledges that this was a comprehensive and dangerous act of religious subversion during a period of extreme political volatility.
As a statesman, Hill held a unique and remarkable position; he served as a Commissioner Against Heretics under the Catholic Queen Mary I and, subsequently, as a Commissioner for Ecclesiastical Causes under the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I. This ability to navigate opposing religious environments suggests a high degree of political pragmatism, allowing him to oversee and authorize the circulation of religious texts during the Elizabethan Settlement.
The nature of Hill's involvement remains a subject of intense scrutiny, centering on the use of clandestine commercial networks. Most notably, historical attention has focused on a specific printing business that appeared in London to handle the Bible's distribution. This operative functioned for a conspicuously short duration and ceased all operations almost immediately following the probate of Hill's estate in 1561. Because Hill held the legal authority to inquire into "seditious books," any such printer would have required his explicit protection to operate. This indicates that Hill may have established a temporary commercial infrastructure to bypass censorship laws, utilizing his dual status as a crown official and merchant prince.
The cultural legacy of this project is extensive. The Geneva Bible became the standard text for many prominent figures, including William Shakespeare and Oliver Cromwell, and its influence extended to the New World as one of the Bibles carried by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower in 1620. By securing the early distribution of this translation, Hill's "comprehensive and dangerous act" provided the foundational text for much of the English-speaking world's subsequent religious and literary history.

The Soulton Library

A theory suggests that Sir Rowland Hill's statecraft involved him accumulating state papers and important texts at his manor, Soulton Hall. This collection is thought to have later passed through the Alkington Cottons and eventually contributed to the Cotton Library, which famously holds manuscripts such Magna Carta. This hypothesis offers a potential explanation for why Soulton Hall was ransacked during the English Civil War.

Association with early theatre and performance

As Lord Mayor of London, Sir Rowland Hill was noted in contemporary records for relaxing the regulation of theatre in the city.
He was also involved, alongside his friend Sir John Gresham, in the revival of the Marching Watch or Midsummer Watche, a series of grand public pageants in which thousands of citizens paraded through London. These parades were so spectacular that King Henry VIII and Queen Jane Seymour reportedly watched one from Mercers' Hall.. Hill's links to the literary world, particularly to William Shakespeare, are a subject of scholarly interest, for example:

he was a cousin by marriage to Mary Arden, Shakespeare's mother.
he was a friend and bought the manor of Soulton of Sir Thomas Lodge, whose son Thomas Lodge Jr's prose tale Rosalynde was the source for Shakespeare's play As You Like It.
It has been speculated that Hill himself was the inspiration for the character Rowland de Bois in As You Like It and his house at Soulton was conceived of as a theatre.

Memorials and reputation

A contemporary said of Sir Rowland:

"Wheresoever a good dede was to be done for the common weal of his countrymen, he was ready to further the cause."

Thomas Fuller recorded that on his death he "Forg his Tenants a years Rent. Also enjoyning his Heirs, to make them new Leases of one and twenty years, for two years Rent" and concluded of him:

I have heard the natives of this County confess and complain of a comparative dearth of Benefactors to the publick. But sure, Shropshire is like to the Mulberry, which putteth forth his leaves last of all Trees, but then maketh such speed, that it over∣taketh those trees in Fruit, which in Leaves started long before it. As this Shire of late hath done affording two of the same surname still surviving, who have dipp'd their hands so deep in charitable morter.

Hill's charity had a stern edge, with the epitaph on his monument stating that he also enjoyed a reputation as 'a foe to vice and a vehement corrector',

A friend to virtue, a lover of learning,
A foe to vice and vehement corrector,
A prudent person, all truth supporting,
A citizen sage, and worthy counsellor,
A love of wisdom, of justice a furtherer,
Lo here his corps lieth, Sir Rowland Hill by name,
Of London late Lord Mayor and Alderman of same.

Archer credits Sir Rowland Hill among a series of mid-century Lord Mayors who were "stern moralists," Hill's credentials as an "anti-corruption campaigner" themes which were noted in the 2021 North Shropshire by-election, on account of his manor being used extensively during that campaign.
He died 28 October 1561 of strangury, according to the diary of Henry Machyn, and was buried at St Stephen Walbrook on 5 November.
Sir Thomas Offley was among the leading mourners at the funeral.
A more than life size statue is erected in the church with Hill holding Magna Carta, a document signed for King John.
A contemporary account of his funeral was as follows:

The v day of November was bered in sant Stephen's in Walbroke ser Rowland Hylle, latt mare and altherman and mercer and knyght, with a standard and v pennons of armes, and a cott armur and a helmet, a crest, sword, and mantyll, and xj dosen of skochyons of armes; and he gayff a c. gownes and cottes to men and women; and ther wher ij haroldes of armes, master Clarenshux and master Somersett, and my lord mayre morner, the cheyff morner; ser Recherd Lee, master Corbett, with dyvers odur morners, ser Wylliam Cordell, ser Thomas Offeley, ser Martens Bowes and master Chamburlan althermen, and the ij shreyffes, and master Chambur.. and master Blakewell, with mony mo morners, and a 1. pore men in good blake gownes, besyd women; and the dene of Powlles mad the sermon; and after all done my lord mayre and mony and althermen whent to the Mercers' hall and the craft to dener, and the resedu to ys plase to dener, and grett mon mad for ys deth, and he gayff myche to the pore.

There is a sixteenth century bust of him in the building occupied by the school he founded in Market Drayton.
There is a statue of Hill on a pillar at Hawkstone Park in Shropshire. This monument, known as "The Obelisk" is on a column of 110 feet, and was :

a copy from an ancient monument, which before the Great Fire of London stood in the Church of St Stephen, Walbrook.

The text originally on the Hawkstone pillar read as follows:

THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL BE HAD IN EVERLASTING REMEMBRANCE.-Psalm cxi. 6.
The first stone of this Pillar was laid by Sir Richard Hill, Bart. Member in several Parliaments for this County, on the 1st day of October, in the year 1795; who caused it to be erected, not only for the various uses of an Observatory, and to feast the eye, by presenting to it at one view, a most luxuriant and ex-tensive prospect, which takes in not less than twelve counties; but from mo-tives of justice, respect, and gratitude to the memory of a truly great and good man, viz. Sir Rowland Hill, Knt. who was born at the family mansion of Hawkstone, in the reign of King Henry the Seventh, and being bred to trade, and free of the city of London, became one of the most considerable and opulent merchants of his time, and was Lord Mayor of the same, in the second and third years of Edward the Sixth, anno 1549 and 1550, and was the first Protestant who filled that high office. Having embraced the principles of the Reformation, he zealously exerted himself in behalf of the Protestant cause, and having been diligent in the use of all religious exercises, prayerful, conscientious, and watchful, yet trusting only in the merits of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, he exchanged his life for a better, a short while after the death of that pious young monarch, being aged nearly seventy years. For a considerable time previous to his decease, he gave up his mercantile occupations, that he might with more devotedness of heart attend to the great concerns of another world. His lands, possessions, and church patronage, were im-mense; particularly in the counties of Salop and Chester; the number of his tenants amounting to one thousand one hundred and eighty-one, as appears from his own handwriting. But his private virtues, good deeds, and munificent spirit, were quite unlimited, and extended-like the prospect before us, East, West, North, and South, far surpassing all bounds. "Being sensible," saith Fuller, "that "his great estate was given him of God," it was his desire to devote it to his glory. He built a spacious church in his own parish of Hodnet, and likewise the neighbouring church of Stoke, at his own expense. He built Tern and Atcham Bridges in this county, both of hewn stone, and containing several arches each. He also built other large bridges of timber. He built and endowed several Free Schools, particularly that of Drayton. He made and paved divers highways for the public utility. He founded exhibitions, and educated many students at both Universities, and supported at the Inns of Court others who were brought up to the Law. He was the unwearied friend of the widow and the fatherless. He clothed annually three hundred poor people in his own neighbourhood, both with shirts and coats; and in the city of London he gave £500 to St. Bartholomew's hospital, besides £600 to Christ Church hospital. He also gave most liberally to all other hospitals, and at his death bequeathed £150 to the poor of all the Wards in London. He had no children, but his relations and kinsfolk were numerous, who all partook largely of his bounty, both in his lifetime and at his death. He constantly kept up a great family household, where hi maintained good hospitality. Many resorted to him for his wise and salutary advice; and none who came to him were ever sent empty or dissatisfied away.
Go and do thou likewise, as far as thy ability will permit, without injury to thy own relations.
To suffer such a character to sink into oblivion, would be in the highest degree ungrateful, as well as injurious to posterity, for whose imitation it is held up.

The identity of Hill's wife, whom he had married by 1542, is unknown. She died during the year of his mayoralty, and since there were no children of the marriage, his heir was his brother, William, parson of Stoke on Tern; however he left property to the children of his four sisters:

Agnes Hill, who married John Cowper, esquire.
Joan Hill, who married George Dormayne, esquire.
Jane Hill, who married John Gratewood, esquire, of Wollerton, Shropshire, the son of William Gratwood by Mary Newport, daughter of Thomas Newport of High Ercall, Shropshire, by whom she had a son, William Gratwood, who married Mary Newport, the daughter of Sir Richard Newport of High Ercall; Alice Gratewood, who married the justice Reginald Corbet; and Margaret Gratwood, who married Thomas Jones of Chilton.
Elizabeth Hill, who married John Barker of Haughmond in Shropshire, esquire.

Another of his heiresses being Alice Barker alias Coverdale wife of Sir Thomas Leigh, descendents of whom are Dukes of Marlborough, Viscount Melbourne and later Dukes of Leeds. Hill has a new grant of arms issued to him, despite his family having an ancient right to arms which as, and these arms were specially granted to his hiers who were not issue of his body. The new arms specially created for him have a noticeable likenes to the arms of the Adren family, but the new arms repeated the castle device used on the arms of the family from at least the reign of Richard II.
Within All Souls, Oxford University the arms of Hill appear in the colonnade of the Great Quadrangle, opposite the arms of the Boyle family.

Portraits

There are 16th-century portraits of Hill in the Museum of London and in the Mercers' Hall in Ironmongers' Lane, as well as at Attingham Park and Tatton Park. The last of these was exhibited in 1897 at Manchester City Art Gallery in a show called "The royal house of Tudor".
These portraits contain inscriptions in both French and Latin. The French text at the top:

ADIEU MONDE PUIS QUE TV DESCORS TOUT INFAMS…TOUT CHASTES TOUT A LA FIN ORLIVES TOUT,

can be translated as:

Farewell world, since you deceive all, dishonour all, punish all, in the end make all fall into oblivion.

The Latin inscription below describes him as a "good and wise man" who was a former Lord Mayor of London. It details how he prospered under Kings Henry VIII and Edward VI, acquiring his wealth with a clear conscience. As he aged, he gave up the pursuit of riches and lived a quiet, content life. The text highlights his generosity, noting that he liberally gave to the poor, supported scholars, and helped lawyers. As he had no children, he divided his possessions among his relatives. The inscription concludes that his piety was so great that his fame spread far and wide, and he dedicated his later life to prayer and contemplation for the glory of God.

Land holdings and connections to the Cotton family

Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Sir Rowland Hill acquired numerous properties, including St Chad's Church in Norton-in-Hales. This land was later passed to the Cotton family, originally from Alkington.
illiam Cotton, a London draper, served as Hill's agent in Shropshire and this connection proved instrumental in the Cotton family's social rise.
A later family member, Sir Allan Cotton, became Lord Mayor of London in 1625–1626, and Sir Robert Cotton founded the Cotton Library, which was eventually acquired by the British Museum.

Connections to Notable Figures

Hill's legacy is also linked to several prominent families. The writer Jane Austen is related to Hill via one of his heiresses, Alice Barker and his protégé Sir Thomas Leigh of Stoneleigh.
In this same line is Catherine Leigh, wife of the Gunpowder Plot conspirator Robert Catesby.
Hill's great-niece and heiress, Elizabeth Corbet, married in 1573 Robert Arden of Park Hall, Warwickshire. The only son of Catholic martyr Edward Arden, Sheriff of Warwickshire and a descendant of the ancient Arden family, Robert's second cousin was Mary née Arden, mother of William Shakespeare.
Through his cousin Sir Thomas Bromley, the Tudor Lord Chancellor, Hill was related to Sir Oliver Cromwell, uncle of the Lord Protector.

Charities

Sir Rowland Hill's Educational Foundation, named in his memory, continues its charitable giving to this day.