Home > Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire

The son of Trevor Hill, 1st Viscount Hillsborough , he was born at Fairford in Gloucestershire. He became an English member of parliament in 1741, and an Irish viscount on his father's death in the following year, thus sitting in both the English and Irish parliaments. In 1751 he was created Earl of Hillsborough in the Irish peerage; in 1754 he was made Comptroller of the Royal Household and an English privy councillor; and in 1756 he became a peer of Great Britain as Baron Harwich.

For nearly two years he was President of the Board of Trade and PlantationsThe President of the Board of Trade the title of a cabinet position in the United Kingdom government. It is the secondary title of the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry . The idea of a Board of Trade was first translated into action by Oliver Crom under George GrenvilleGeorge Grenville ( October 14, 1712 November 13, 1770) was a British Whig statesman who served in government for the relatively short period of nine years (reaching the position of Prime Minister of Great Britain); Sir Robert Walpole served as Prime Minis, and after a brief period of retirement he filled the same position, and then that of joint Postmaster-General, under the Earl of ChathamWilliam Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham commonly known as William Pitt the Elder ( November 15, 1708 May 11, 1778) was an English politician, born in London, who was the nominal Prime Minister and Lord Privy Seal ( 1766- 68) and Secretary of State for the South. From 1768Events January 9 Philip Astley stages the first modern circus ( London) May 10 John Wilkes is imprisoned for writing an article for the North Briton severely criticizing King George III. This action provokes rioting in London Secretary of State for coloni to 1772Events February 17 First partition of Poland, by Russia and Prussia, later including Austria May Watauga Association formed in East Tennessee as the first independent Anglo-American government. June 9 British vessel Gaspee is burned off of Rhode Island. Hillsborough was Secretary of State for the ColoniesThe Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet official in charge of managing the various British colonies. The position was first created in 1768 to deal with the increasingly troublesome North American colonies. and also president of the board of trade, becoming an English earl on his retirement; in 1779Events The Iron Bridge is completed across the Severn river in Shropshire; the first all cast-iron bridge ever constructed. Boulton and Watt's Smethwick Engine, now the oldest working engine in the world, is brought into service. The city of Tampere is fo he was made Secretary of State for the Southern Department, and he was created Marquess of Downshire seven years after his final retirement in 1782. Both in and out of office he opposed all concessions to the American colonists, but he favored the project for a union between England and Ireland. Reversing an earlier opinion, Horace Walpole says Downshire was a pompous composition of ignorance and want of judgment. He died on 7 October 1793 and was succeeded by his son Arthur ( 1753- 1801).