Sir Rowland Hill of Soulton (also recorded as Roland or Rouland Hyll or Hylle, and potentially Hall and Haule; c. 1495–1561) 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 Elizabethan settlement.
Hill is remembered as the first Protestant Lord Mayor of London (1549–1550). 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.
Current historical research, discussed in the House of Commons, suggests that Hill may have acted to preserve and safeguard cultural heritage during the Reformation, with findings indicating he could have helped rescue the relics of Saint Erkenwald and the altar stone from Old St. Paul's Cathedral, housing them at his Shropshire estate.
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 (1460–1506) and Margaret Wilbraham, daughter of Thomas Wilbraham of Woodhey, Cheshire.
He had a younger brother, William (a priest),Shropshire History September 2019 and four sisters, Agnes, Joan, Jane and Elizabeth.Hill, Sir Rowland (by 1498–1561), of London and Hodnet, Shropshire, History of Parliament. Retrieved 19 November 2013. 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 (October–December 1553), temporarily replacing Sir Martin Bowe (a Catholic); 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 (leading to a series of trials for high treason at the Guildhall) he was commissioned as a Justice for oyer and terminer (an assize judge), along with Sir William Garrard (Lord Mayor for 1555/56) presiding), 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 both remarkable and 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 Sir John Gresham, who provided him with a black gown to attend his funeral and whose executor he was.The National Archives PROB 11/38/241 He was also a "trusty friend" of Sir Thomas Seymour, (of whom it was said that he "knew much of the intent and purpose" ) 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 (ancestor of the philosopher John Locke). He received a piece of gold in the will of Chief Justice Sir Thomas Bromley (died 1555) ‘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.Sir Rowland Hill (c.1495-1561) museumoflondon.org.uk 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 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.The Times. (1954, May 27). 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.