Rowland Clegg-Hill, 3rd Viscount Hill (5 December 1833 – 30 March 1895), known as Rowland Hill until 1872, was a British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

politician.

Background

Born Rowland Clegg Hill, at

Hawkstone Hall Hawkstone Hall is a early 18th-century country mansion near Hodnet, Shropshire, England which was more recently occupied as the pastoral centre of a religious organisation for many years. It is a Grade I listed building. It is currently a wedd ...

, Shropshire, he was the son of

Rowland Hill, 2nd Viscount Hill Rowland Hill, 2nd Viscount Hill (10 May 1800 – 3 January 1875), known as Sir Rowland Hill, Bt, between 1824 and 1842, was a British peer and Tory politician. Background Hill was the son of Colonel John Hill, eldest son of Sir John Hill, 3rd ...

, and Anne, daughter of Joseph Clegg. In 1874 he assumed by Royal licence the additional surname of Clegg before that of Hill. He was educated at

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into the ...

Military service

Hill was commissioned as cornet in the North Shropshire Yeomanry Cavalry in 1853, and captain in 1866. He continued to serve within the unified

Shropshire Yeomanry The Shropshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1795, which served as a cavalry and dismounted infantry regiment in the First World War and as a cavalry and an artillery regiment in the Second World War. It ...

regiment formed by amalgamation in 1872, and was promoted major in 1875. He resigned in 1879.

Political career

Hill sat as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

North Shropshire North Shropshire was a local government district in Shropshire, England from 1974 to 2009. The district council was based at Edinburgh House in Wem. Other settlements included the towns of Ellesmere, Market Drayton, Wem and Whitchurch, as w ...

between 1857 and 1865. In 1875, he succeeded his father in the viscountcy and entered the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. His ability to sit in the Lords was curtailed in later years by ill health and being adjudged

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debt ...

in July 1894 with debts of almost £250,000. He was also a deputy lieutenant and

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

(JP) for the county of Shropshire.

Sporting life

The Hon R.C. Hill succeeded his father as Master of the Shropshire Fox Hounds, and refounded the Hawkstone Otter Hunt Club in 1870, becoming its Master and continuing until 1891. The Hawkstone Otter Hunt was originally started about 1800 by the 1st Viscount and maintained within the family.

Personal life

Hill was twice married. He married firstly, in London, Mary Madax, daughter of William Madax of

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan borough on the south coast of Hampshire, South East England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,662. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite t ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, on 3 May 1855. Before their marriage she worked as his mother's still room maid and for some time the marriage was unacknowledged. She died in 1874, having borne him two sons, Rowland Richard and Francis William Clegg-Hill, later respectively 4th and 5th Viscounts Hill. He married secondly, in April 1876, Isabella Elizabeth Wynn, daughter of

Spencer Bulkeley Wynn, 3rd Baron Newborough Spencer Bulkeley Wynn (23 May 1803 – 1 November 1888) was Deputy Lieutenant of Carnarvon from 1846 and High Sheriff of Anglesey in 1847. Background He was the son of Thomas Wynn, 1st Baron Newborough and Maria Stella Petronilla Chiappini. ...

, of Rug, Caernarvonshire. The marriage took place at Rug Chapel, and it was claimed that over a thousand people were unable to get into the church to attend the service. Isabella survived her husband, dying in 1908. The couple had one daughter and three sons, the eldest of whom, Charles Rowland Clegg-Hill, later succeeded as 6th Viscount Hill. Lord Hill died at Hawkstone Hall in March 1895, aged 61, and was buried in the family vault at the parish church in

Hodnet Hodnet is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The town of Market Drayton lies 5.7 miles (9.2 km) north-east of the village. History Evidence of a Bronze Age burial site was discovered during construction of the bypass in ...

. He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son, Rowland Richard Clegg-Hill.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Rowland Clegg-Hill, 3rd Viscount 1833 births 1895 deaths Masters of foxhounds in England Viscounts in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 Hill, V3 Shropshire Yeomanry officers