Sir Robert Chambre Hill CB (25March 17785March 1860) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

officer who fought in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

and was wounded while in command of the

Royal Horse Guards The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards (The Blues) (RHG) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. Raised in August 1650 at Newcastle upon Tyne and County Durham by Sir Arthur Haselrigge on the orders of Oliver Cr ...

at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

on 18June 1815.

Background

He was born on 25March 1778 at Hawkstone Hall near Prees, Shropshire, the fourth son of

Sir John Hill, 3rd Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

, a Shropshire farmer and landowner and Mary, daughter and co-heir to John Chambré of Petton, Shropshire. One of his elder brothers was Rowland, later Lord Hill.

Career

Educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

from 1788, Hill was appointed a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

in the 6th Dragoons on 29July 1795. Promotion to lieutenant followed on 26August 1796 and to captain on 15June 1804. He then transferred as a major to the

(Blues) on 15November 1805 and received his

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

promotion to lieutenant-colonel on 1January 1819. He commanded the Blues during the

and led a brigade of cavalry at the 1813 Battle of Vitoria, for which he received the Army Gold Medal. At

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

, Hill, while a commander of the Royal Horse Guards, was wounded when a musket ball entered his right shoulder and passed through his arm. Despite the injury, Hill remained on the battlefield until close to the completion of the action. For his services in the battle he was made a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

(CB), a Knight of the Russian Order of St. George of the Fourth Class, and a Knight of the Austrian

Military Order of Maria Theresa The Military Order of Maria Theresa (german: Militär-Maria-Theresien-Orden; hu, Katonai Mária Terézia-rend; cs, Vojenský řád Marie Terezie; pl, Wojskowy Order Marii Teresy; sl, Vojaški red Marije Terezije; hr, Vojni Red Marije Te ...

. He was knighted by the

Prince Regent A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch regnant, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness ...

on 29May 1812 as a proxy for his brother, Rowland, who was already a Knight of the Bath. Hill later became Deputy Lieutenant of Shropshire, a magistrate for the

Wem Wem may refer to: * HMS ''Wem'' (1919), a minesweeper of the Royal Navy during World War I *Weem, a village in Perthshire, Scotland * Wem, a small town in Shropshire, England *Wem (musician), hip hop musician WEM may stand for: * County Westmeath, ...

and Whitchurch divisions, and a Commissioner of Income and Property Taxes for the latter.

Family

Hill married Eliza, daughter of Henry Lumley on 5February 1801 and they had the following children: *George-Stavely, born 1801, married Jane daughter of Thomas Borough in 1832. *Alfred-Edward, born 19March 1810 who became a captain in the British Army and married the daughter of the Earl of Kilmorey on 9April 1839. *Percy, born 24December 1817 who became a Lieutenant-Colonel in the 95th Regiment of Foot (Rifles) and married Harriet-Cecilia, daughter of Captain John Steuart. *Mary-Julia His brothers Rowland,

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

and

Clement Clement or Clément may refer to: People * Clement (name), a given name and surname * Saint Clement (disambiguation)#People Places * Clément, French Guiana, a town * Clement, Missouri, U.S. * Clement Township, Michigan, U.S. Other uses * ...

also followed military careers and were all present at the Battle of Waterloo.

References

;Bibliography * * * 1778 births 1860 deaths British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Royal Horse Guards officers Companions of the Order of the Bath Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Fourth Degree Military personnel from Shropshire Deputy Lieutenants of Shropshire Younger sons of baronets {{British-Army-bio-stub