Background
Born William Hill, he was the second son of Noel Hill, who was created first Baron Berwick in 1784, and his wife, Anna, a maternal granddaughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford.
Born William Hill, he was the second son of Noel Hill, who was created first Baron Berwick in 1784, and his wife, Anna, a maternal granddaughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford.
He was educated at Rugby School and Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating Master of Arts
In 1793. He held command, as major, of the Shrewsbury Yeomanry Cavalry from its inception in 1798 until 1804, when the command was handed to Charles Dallas, and of the Shropshire Militia as lieutenant-colonel from 1801 to 1814, although diplomatic duty abroad took him away from duty in this country. Hill went to France as attaché to the British chargé d"affaires in Paris in November 1801, and was on duty during the truce brought about by the Peace of Amiens. When war with Napoleon resumed he was briefly in captivity but escaped to England.
In 1805, Hill was appointed ambassador to Ratisbon (though the Napoleonic Wars prevented him from taking up office), to the Kingdom of Sardinia, whose court was exiled by the war in Cagliari in 1807 and at Turin in 1814 following Napoleon"s defeat, and to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies at Naples in 1824.
In 1822, he had rejected George Canning"s offer of the post of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. In 1832, he inherited the barony of Berwick from his childless older brother, Thomas.
He was buried in the family vault at Street Eata"s parish church, Atcham.
1st United Kingdom Parliament. 2nd United Kingdom Parliament. 3rd United Kingdom Parliament.
4th United Kingdom Parliament.
5th United Kingdom Parliament]
From 1796–1812, he was Tory Member of Parliament for Shrewsbury and for Marlborough from 1814-1818.