Hill, Rowland, 1st Viscount Hill

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Hill, Rowland, 1st Viscount Hill (1772–1842). Soldier. Hill was a younger son of Sir John Hill, baronet, of Shropshire and one of five brothers to join the army. He was wounded near Alexandria in 1801 while serving under Abercromby and was promoted major-general in 1805. Later he served in Portugal and was again wounded at Talavera (1809). In 1812 he was knighted. He was with Wellington in the advance into France 1813–14 and was given a barony. On Napoleon's return from Elba, Hill hastened to Brussels and was in action at Waterloo, where he had a horse killed under him. From 1828 until 1842 he was general commanding-in-chief and was raised to a viscountcy just before his death. Melbourne confided to the young Queen Victoria that Hill was ‘a very dull man’. There is a large monument to him at Shrewsbury.

J. A. Cannon

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