Nathaniel Polhill (1723–1782) was a British merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1774 to 1782. Polhill was the eldest son of William Polhill of Burwash, Sussex and his wife Hannah Lade, daughter of Stephen Lade of Downham, Norfolk, and was born on 7 January 1723. He married Elizabeth Coppard, daughter of William Coppard of Hastings on 5 March 1750. Polhill was a tobacconist at Southwark. From 1777 he was a partner in a City bank. At the 1774 general election Polhill stood for

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, promising economic and parliamentary reform. He was returned as Member of Parliament after heading the poll. In the 1780 general election he was again returned for Southwark after a contest. He was a leading member of the

Protestant Association The Gordon Riots of 1780 were several days of rioting in London motivated by anti-Catholic sentiment. They began with a large and orderly protest against the Papists Act 1778, which was intended to reduce official discrimination against British ...

, and his only reported speech in Parliament was in seconding Lord George Gordon’s motion on the Association's petition. Polhill died on 29 August 1782, leaving estates in five counties.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polhill, Nathaniel 1723 births 1782 deaths British merchants British bankers British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies