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The Marquess of Downshire | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byPompeo Batoni, 1766 | |
| First Lord of Trade | |
| In office 9 September 1763 – 20 July 1765 | |
| Monarch | George III |
| Prime Minister | George Grenville |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Shelburne |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Dartmouth |
| In office 16 August – December 1766 | |
| Monarch | George III |
| Prime Minister | The Earl of Chatham |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Dartmouth |
| Succeeded by | The Viscount Clare |
| In office 20 January 1768 – 31 August 1772 | |
| Monarch | George III |
| Prime Minister | The Earl of Chatham The Duke of Grafton Lord North |
| Preceded by | The Viscount Clare |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Dartmouth |
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | |
| In office 27 February 1768 – 27 August 1772 | |
| Monarch | George III |
| Prime Minister | The Earl of Chatham The Duke of Grafton Lord North |
| Preceded by | New office |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Dartmouth |
| Secretary of State for the Southern Department | |
| In office 24 November 1779 – 27 March 1782 | |
| Monarch | George III |
| Prime Minister | Lord North |
| Preceded by | The Viscount Weymouth |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1718-05-30)30 May 1718 Fairford, Gloucestershire |
| Died | 7 October 1793(1793-10-07) (aged 75) |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Lady Margaretta FitzGerald (d. 1766) (2)Mary Stawell (1726–1780) |
Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire,PC (30 May 1718 – 7 October 1793), known asthe 2nd Viscount Hillsborough from 1742 to 1751 and asthe 1st Earl of Hillsborough from 1751 to 1789, was a British politician of theGeorgian era.
Best known in North America as the Earl of Hillsborough, he served asSecretary of State for the Colonies from 1768 to 1772, a critical period leading toward theAmerican War of Independence.
Born inFairford,Gloucestershire, Wills Hill was the son ofTrevor Hill, 1st Viscount Hillsborough, and Mary, daughter of Anthony Rowe. He was named afterGeneralSir Charles Wills, his godfather.[1]
Hill, known retrospectively as Downshire, was returned to Parliament forWarwick in 1741, a seat he held until 1756. He succeeded his father as The 2nd Viscount Hillsborough in May 1742 (as this was anIrish peerage he was able to continue to sit in theBritish House of Commons). Lord Hillsborough, as he now was, was the same year appointedLord Lieutenant of County Down andCustos Rotulorum of County Down.[2]
In 1751, he was created Earl of Hillsborough in the Peerage of Ireland. In 1754, he was madeComptroller of the Household, a post he held until 1756, and appointed aPrivy Counsellor. In 1756, he was createdBaron Harwich, of Harwich in the County of Essex, in thePeerage of Great Britain, which entitled him to a seat in theHouse of Lords.
For nearly two years, between 1763 and 1765, Lord Hillsborough wasPresident of the Board of Trade and Plantations underGeorge Grenville, and after a brief period of retirement he filled the same position in 1766, and then that of jointPostmaster General, under theEarl of Chatham. From 1768 to 1772, Hillsborough wasSecretary of State for the Colonies and also President of the Board of Trade. Both in and out of office, Hillsborough opposed all concessions to the American colonists, but he favoured the project for a union between England and theKingdom of Ireland. On his retirement in 1772, he was created Earl of Hillsborough in the Peerage of Great Britain.
In 1779 he served asSecretary of State for the Southern Department, remaining until 1782. He was the last person to serve in this position, because the Secretaries of State were reorganized.
In 1789, he was madeMarquess of Downshire in the Irish peerage.
Lord Downshire married firstly Lady Margaretta, daughter ofThe 19th Earl of Kildare, in 1747. His second daughter and last child by his first marriage was Lady Charlotte Hill, wife ofThe 1st Earl Talbot. Lady Talbot was the subject of a notable portrait bySir Joshua Reynolds.[3]
After her death in 1766, he married secondlyMary Bilson-Legge, 1st Baroness Stawell, daughter ofEdward, 4th Baron Stawell, and widow ofHenry Bilson-Legge, in 1768. She died in 1780.
Lord Downshire died on 7 October 1793, aged 75, at his estateHillsborough Castle.[4] He was succeeded by his son from his first marriage,Arthur.
In the United States,Hillsborough County, New Hampshire,Hillsborough Township, New Jersey, the town ofHillsborough, New Hampshire, within the county, the town ofHillsborough, North Carolina, andHillsborough County, Florida, Hillsboro, Highland, Ohio were named after the Marquess.Hillsborough, California, named for Hillsborough, New Hampshire, is an indirect namesake.
In Canada,Hillsborough Bay, onPrince Edward Island, and the village ofHillsborough, New Brunswick, were named in Downshire's honour.
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"Hill, Wills" .Dictionary of National Biography. London:Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forWarwick 1741–1756 With:Henry Archer | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Comptroller of the Household 1754–1756 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Treasurer of the Chamber 1755–1756 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | First Lord of Trade 1763–1765 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | First Lord of Trade 1766 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | First Lord of Trade 1768–1772 | Succeeded by |
| New title | Secretary of State for the Colonies 1768–1772 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for the Southern Department 1779–1782 | Office abolished |
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| New creation | Earl of Hillsborough 1772–1793 | Succeeded by |
| Baron Harwich 1756–1793 | ||
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| New creation | Marquess of Downshire 1789–1793 | Succeeded by |
| Earl of Hillsborough 1751–1793 | ||
| Preceded by | Viscount Hillsborough 1742–1793 | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
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