Edward Stock Hill

Hill was born in Bedminster, Bristol in 1834, the youngest son of Charles Hill and Mary Arthur, both from Bristol. He was educated at Bishop's College, Bristol, and abroad.^[2]

In 1855 he became partner in his father's firm, renamed Messrs. Charles Hill and sons, shipbuilders and shipowners, of Albion Dockyard, Bristol, and of Cardiff. The firm started a steamship line between Bristol and New York in 1880. Hill was president of the Chamber of Shipping in 1881, and a member of the council of the Associated Chambers of Commerce (and its president 1888-1891).^[3]

He unsuccessfully contested the newly created Bristol South constituency at the 1885 general election, and won the seat in 1886. He was re-elected in 1892 and 1895, and retired from politics at the 1900 general election.^[4] According to his obituary, it was "in a great measure due to the persistency of Sir Edward that the Government were induced to provide telegraphic communication between the lighthouses and lightships around the coast and the shore."^[3]

Hill was Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant of the 1st Glamorganshire Artillery Volunteers from 1864.^[5] He was High Sheriff of Glamorganshire in 1885, and a Justice of the peace for that county, and for Cardiff.^[3] He was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 1881 Birthday Honours,^[6] and a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) on 10 May 1892.^[7] He was also a Knight of the Swedish Order of Vasa.

He served as president of Waverley Football Club in Bristol from 1889,^[8] and was a Provincial Grand Master for South Wales in the Masonic United Grand Lodge of England.^[9]

He died at the Bath Hotel, Dover street, in London on 17 December 1902,^[3][10] and was buried at Llandaff Cathedral Cemetery three days later.^[11]