Marquis of Downshire

Marquessate of Downshire
Quarterly, 1st, sable on a fess argent between three leopards passant guardant or, spotted of the field, as many escallops gules (for HILL); 2nd, party per bend sinister ermine and ermine, a lion rampant or (for TREVOR): 3rd, gules a quatrefoil or (for ROWE); 4th, argent, a chevron azure between three trefoils slipped per pale gules and vert, also (for ROWE)
Creation date	20 August 1789
Monarch	George III
Peerage	Peerage of Ireland
First holder	Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire
Present holder	Arthur Nicholas Hill, 9th Marquess of Downshire
Heir apparent	Edmund Hill, Earl of Hillsborough
Subsidiary titles	Earl of Hillsborough (I) Earl of Hillsborough (GB) Viscount Hillsborough Viscount Kilwarlin Viscount Fairford Baron Hill Baron Harwich Baron Sandys (UK)
Seat(s)	Clifton Castle
Former seat(s)	Hillsborough Castle Easthampstead Park
Armorial motto	Per Deum et ferrum obtinui ("By God and my sword I have obtained")

Marquess of Downshire is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1789 for Wills Hill, 1st Earl of Hillsborough, a former Secretary of State.

Hill had already been created Earl of Hillsborough and Viscount Kilwarlin of County Down in the Peerage of Ireland in 1751 with remainder, in default of male issue of his own, to his uncle Arthur Hill, 1st Viscount Dungannon. He was further created Baron Harwich, of Harwich in the County of Essex, in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1756 with a seat in the (London) House of Lords. In 1772 he was further ennobled with a second Earldom of Hillsborough and as Viscount Fairford in the County of Gloucester, both in the Peerage of Great Britain.

Downshire was the eldest son of Trevor Hill, who had been created Viscount Hillsborough and Baron Hill of Kilwarlin in County Down, in the Peerage of Ireland in 1717, with remainder, in default of male issue of his own, to the male issue of his father, Michael Hill. Trevor Hill was the brother of the aforementioned Arthur Hill, 1st Viscount Dungannon.

In 2013, the 9th Marquess succeeded, under the terms of a special remainder of 1802, to the title Baron Sandys. The barony had been created for Mary Hill, Marchioness of Downshire, the widow of the second Marquess, with remainder to her younger sons, Lord Arthur Moyses William Hill, Lord Marcus Hill, Lord Augustus Hill and Lord George Hill successively, but if the male line failed, could be inherited by her male heirs of the eldest son, the third Marquess. This occurred in April 2013 with the death of Richard Hill, 7th Baron Sandys without male heirs.