John Hill (died 1408)

Arms of Hill of Hill's Court, Exeter: Gules, a saltire vair between four mullets pierced argent^[1] These are the same arms as Hill of Houndstone, Somerset, one of whom was Margaret Hill, first wife of Sir Hugh Luttrell (d.1521) of Dunster Castle

Sir John Hill (died 1408) of Kytton in the parish of Holcombe Rogus and of Hill's Court,^[2] in the parish of St Sidwell in the City of Exeter, both in Devon, was a Member of Parliament and a Justice of the King's Bench.

Hill's Court, Exeter

Hill's Court was in the parish of St Sidwell in the City of Exeter, in Devon. In 1811 Thomas Johnson died at "Hill's Court, near Exeter", as reported by the "Monthly Magazine" (Vol.31)^[3] In 1822 Lysons reported there being no surviving remains of the ancient mansion and the site on which several houses had been built being then the property of John Newcombe.^[4]

Marriages

He married twice:

• Firstly to Denise Durborough, daughter of Sir John Durborough and widow of Sir John Malet, eldest son of Sir Baldwin Malet of Enmore in Gloucestershire. By Denise Durborough he had progeny including the following:
  • Robert Hill (c.1361-1423) of Spaxton in Somerset, four times MP for Somerset, in 1414, 1415, 1416 and 1419.^[5] In 1402-4 Robert Hill had been the steward of the Dunster Castle estates of Joan, Lady Mohun, after whose death he retained close connections with the new lord of Dunster Sir Hugh Luttrell (d.1428), his co-MP for Somerset in 1414 and 1415, of whose will he was an executor.^[6]
  • Margaret Hill, wife of William Harington, 5th Baron Harington (c.1394–1458), brother of John Harington, 4th Baron Harington(d.1418) husband of Elizabeth Courtenay(d.1471), daughter of Edward de Courtenay, 3rd Earl of Devon(d.1419).
  • Joan Hill, who married four times.
    • Firstly to ... Malet;
    • Thirdly in about 1408 to John Luttrell (died c.1421) of Carhampton, Somerset, MP for Barnstaple in 1406,^[7] Constable of Dunster Castle 1408-1421 for his Luttrell kinsman, feoffee for Hugh de Courtenay, 4th/12th Earl of Devon (1389–1422) and trustee of the Devon and Cornwall estates of his brother-in-law John, Lord Harrington.
• Secondly he married Maud Daubeney, by whom he had issue including:
  • John Hill.

Further reading

• Prince, John, (1643–1723) The Worthies of Devon, 1810 edition, London, pp.494-7, biography of Hill, Sir John, Knight

References

1. Pole, Sir William (d.1635), Collections Towards a Description of the County of Devon, Sir John-William de la Pole (ed.), London, 1791, p.487
2. History of Parliament biography of "HILL, Robert (c.1361-1423), of Spaxton, Som."
3. Death 1 Feb.1811, "Monthly Magazine", Vol.31, ed. Phillips, Sir Richard, p.94
4. Daniel Lysons and Samuel Lysons, 'Parishes: Salcombe Regis - Silverton', in Magna Britannia: Volume 6, Devonshire (London, 1822), pp. 430-451 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/magna-britannia/vol6/pp430-451]
5. History of Parliament biography of "HILL, Robert (c.1361-1423), of Spaxton, Som."
6. History of Parliament biography of Robert Hill
7. http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/member/luttrell-john-1421