A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Hill, Charles Thomas
HILL. (Lieutenant, 1833. f-p., 19; h-p., 19.)
Charles Thomas Hill, born 4 July, 1796, is fourth and eldest surviving son of the late West Hill, Esq., M.D., Deputy Inspector of Hospitals, who accompanied Lord Cornwallis to America, was at the head of the Medical Staff during several campaigns in the War of Independence, and died in 1834 in the 93rd year of his age. Three of the Lieutenant’s brothers. West Tertius, John Hildebrand, and Justly, died officers in the Army; the first being a Lieutenant in the 5th Regt. Madras N.I. – the second a Captain and D.A.A. General in H.M. 27th – and the third a Lieutenant R.A. His youngest brother, Henry, is now serving in India as a Captain of the 57th. Lieut. Hill is first-cousin of the present Vice-Admiral Hill.
This officer entered the Navy, 13 July, 1809, as Fst.-cl. Vol. (under the auspices of his last-named relative), on board the Caesar 80, Capt. Chas. Richardson, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Wm. Albany Otway; and, on attending the ensuing expedition to the Walcheren, was employed on shore with the Naval Brigade during the bombardment of Flushing. He subsequently became Midshipman of the Naiad 38, commanded at first by Capt. Hill and afterwards by Capt. Philip Carteret, under whom he participated, 20 and 21 Sept. 1811, in two actions with divisions of the Boulogne flotilla. On the last-mentioned occasion the Naiad sustained a loss of 2 men killed and 14 wounded, but succeeded in taking one of the enemy’s prames, La Ville de Lyon; which vessel, of whose people upwards of 30 were either slain or wounded, Mr. Hill was the second officer to board. After further assisting at the capture and destruction of three privateers, he removed, in 1812, to the Impregnable 98, successive flag-ship of Admirals Wm. Young and H.R.H. the Duke of Clarence on the Home station, where, in June, 1814, he served in attendance on the Allied Sovereigns during their visit to England. He was next for two years employed in the West Indies and America on board the Araxes 38, Capt. Geo. Miller Bligh, and Tanais, of similar force, Capt. Joseph James; and he subsequently (having passed his examination 7 Nov. 1815) officiated as Admiralty-Midshipman, on the Plymouth, Mediterranean, and Portsmouth stations, of the Sealark schooner, Capt. Philip Helpman, Rochfort 80, flag-ship of Sir Thos. Eras. Fremantle and Sir Graham Moore, Glasgow 50, bearing the broad pendant of Hon. Anthony Maitland, Racehorse 18, Capt. Hon. Chas. Abbot, and Albion 74, Capt. Sir Wm. Hoste. In 1823 Mr. Hill, when at Portsmouth, volunteered to fit out a small schooner of 28 tons, designed as a tender to the flag-ship at Newfoundland; for his conduct and exertions in further navigating her to which place he elicited the approbation of the Admiralty. After an interval of eight years he re-embarked, in 1831, on board the Victory 104, in which ship he served at Portsmouth under the flags of Sir Thos. Foley and Sir Thos. Williams, until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, 21 Aug. 1833. His after appointments afloat were – 14 Feb. and 27 Aug. 1834, to the President 52, and Vernon 50, both commanded by Capt. John M‘Kerlie, at Halifax and in the Mediterranean – 20 July, 1835, to the command of the Alban steam-vessel, on the latter station – and, for a short time at the commencement of 1836, to the Howe 120, Capt. Alex. Ellice, lying at Sheerness. With the exception of a few months spent in 1841-2 in raising volunteers at Glasgow and Greenock, he has not held any additional employment.
Lieut. Hill married, 16 June, 1828, Mary Romman, third daughter of John Holmes, Esq., an opulent merchant of Kingston-upon-Thames, by whom he has issue three sons and one daughter.