William Charles Hill (1824 - 1866)

Born 1824 in Plymouth, Devon, England, United Kingdom

Husband of Annie Gower (Howell) Hill — married 1848 in Saint Dunstan and All Saints Church, Stepney, London, England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 1866 at about age 42 in Stanley, Victoria, Australia

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Biography

William was born in 1824. He passed away in 1866.

Sources

• Death and marriage certs uploaded to Ancestry

William Charles Hill was born in about 1824 in Plymouth, England. He was the son of Thomas Hill, a tallow chandler, and his wife Harriet.

A tallow chandler was a candle maker. It is likely that he also sold oils.

William, aged 23, married Annie Howell, aged 25, on 19th March 1848 at St Dunstan All Saints Church, Stepney (a suburb of London) according to the rights of the"established Church". The marriage was by "banns"- notices were advertised at the church on three different occasions before the marriage. William's occupation is shown as "printer" but other documents show he was a "lithographer".

Annie was born in Carmarthon, Wales on 22nd August 1832, the daughter of Daniel Howell, weaver, and his wife Anne, nee Gower. Index Records show her birthplace as The Tabernacle Dark Gate-Particular Baptist, but this is likely to have been where she was baptised.

The 1851 census shows the family living at 2/1 Great Marlborough Street, Westminster. William C Hill, Head (of household) age 27 lithographer, born Devonshire, Plymouth. Anne G Hill, wife, age 26, born South Wales, Carmarthen. Anne Hill, daughter age 2, born Middlesex, City of London.

St James is a charming area of London, with a fantastic selection of elegant homes and world-renowned shops. The historic streets of St James's have remained virtually unchanged for centuries and are still home to gentlemen's clubs and shops with a rich trading history. William's brother had a Cutler shop "Hill & sons" at 4 Haymarket.

William and Annie migrated to Australia (presumably as assisted immigrants) in about 1852.

1856 Electoral records William Charles Hill had a miner's right at Black lead, Buninyong. Black Lead was a gold-mining village south of Ballarat, situated on the Leigh River/Yarrowee River and 3 km west of Buninyong.

It took about four years after the initial mining of alluvial gold on the Ballarat diggings for exploration for deeper gold to occur in the Buninyong district. The Black Lead was one of the first to be found (1856), and the name arose from the dark colour of the soil and rock in which the lead was worked.

Lizzie Gower Hill (later Vale) was born in 1855 at Four Mile Rush near Maryborough, Victoria. Her father's occupation is listed on her birth certificate as 'lithographic printer".

It seems the family returned to England sometime between 1856 and 1860.

They are listed on the passenger list of “Kent” which arrived in Melbourne in December, 1860. The family is listed as William Charles Hill, 36, merchant, Anne Hill, 37, wife Anne Hill, 11 and Lizzie Hill, aged 5.

The family settled near Stanley in Victoria. Other children were Emily ( who was likely to have been born between 1855 and 1861 and died before her father) and William Charles Hill (junior) born 1861 presumably in Victoria.

In 1858 W C Hill was elected chair of the "Great Goat meeting" - a meeting of residents of Stanley, Hurdle flat and Deep Creek convened to protest about the fees charged by the managers of the goldfields common on goats.

William Charles Hill (senior) died on 29 December 1866 at Stanley aged only 41 years, after a year long illness of the lungs. He was buried at Stanley Cemetery on 31st December 1866. It must have been a terrible New Year's Eve for the family. It is likely that his work as a miner contributed to his illness and eventual death.

He had lived for 14 years in Victoria therefore emigrated in about 1852, although if he had returned to England his initial arrival in Australia may have been earlier.

His daughter Lizzie was only 11 years old but she was the informant on his death certificate. Perhaps this was because mother Annie was illiterate? She signed both her marriage certificate and her will with an "X" so it is likely she never learned to read and write.

Annie was left a widow aged about 45 with three children aged between 5 and 18 years.

Annie died of breast cancer on 29th April 1891 at her residence 38 Powell Street South Yarra. She was aged 68 and had lived for 39 years in Victoria (therefore arrived in Australia about 1852) .

Her daughter Annie was 42, Lizzie was 36 and her son William was aged 27 when she died. They were all beneficiaries of her will. Annie was buried at St Kilda Cemetery on 1st May 1891.

William's oldest brother George Hill emigrated to Wellington NZ where his family owned a brick manufacturing business. Thomas Robert Hill (whom we thin was their brother) was the first of three generations who were cutlers at the prestigious address of 4 Haymarket St James (London).

Compiled 2022 by a great great grandson, Richard Thorley.