Viscount Hill

Viscount Hill, of Hawkstone and of Hardwicke in the County of Salop, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1842 for the soldier Rowland Hill, 1st Baron Hill, with remainder to the heirs male of his elder brother John Hill. Rowland Hill had already been created Baron Hill, of Almaraz and of Hawkstone in the County of Salop, in 1814, with remainder to the heirs male of his body, and Baron Hill, of Almarez and of Hawkestone and Hardwicke in the County of Salop, in 1816, with remainder to the heirs male of his elder brother John Hill. On the first Viscount's death in 1842, the barony of 1814 became extinct as he had no male issue, while he was succeeded in the barony of 1816 and the Viscountcy according to the special remainders by his nephew Sir Rowland Hill, 4th Baronet (the son of John Hill), who became the second Viscount Hill.

His son, the third Viscount, sat as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Shropshire North. In 1875 he assumed by Royal licence the additional surname of Clegg, which was that of his maternal grandfather's. He inherited financial problems from his father which led to the breakup and sale of the family estates. As of 2014^[update] the titles are held by his great-great-grandson, the ninth Viscount, a retired farmer who lives in Crawley.

The Hill, later Clegg-Hill Baronetcy, of Hawkestone in the County of Shropshire, was created in the Baronetage of Great Britain in 1727 for the first Viscount Hill's grandfather Rowland Hill, with remainder to his cousins Samuel Hill, of Shenstone, Thomas Hill, of Tern (whose eldest son Noel Hill was created Baron Berwick in 1784) and Rowland Hill, brother of Thomas. The Baronetcy was created in honour of Rowland Hill's uncle, the diplomat and statesman the Rev. and Hon. Richard Hill of Hawkstone (1655–1727). Sir Rowland Hill later represented Lichfield in Parliament. His son, Sir Richard Hill, 2nd Baronet, represented Shropshire in the House of Commons. He was succeeded by his younger brother, the third Baronet. He sat as a Member of Parliament for Shrewsbury. His grandson, the fourth Baronet, represented Shropshire and Shropshire North in Parliament as a Tory, before he succeeded his uncle in the Barony and Viscountcy of Hill. He later served as Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire. He married Anne Clegg heiress of Peplow Hall in 1831.

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