Rowland Hill (MP)

Sir Rowland Hill
Portrait of Sir Rowland Hill of Soulton
Publisher of the Geneva Bible, Lord Mayor of London, Member of the Privy Council, Member of Parliament, Sheriff of the City of London, Member of the Council of Wales and the Marches, Master of the Worshipful Company of Mercers,
Lord Mayor of London
In office 1549–1549
Monarch	Edward VI
Preceded by	Sir Henry Amcotes
Succeeded by	Sir Andrew Judde
Sheriff of London
In office 1542–1542
Monarch	Henry VIII
Personal details
Born	?1498 Hodnet, Shropshire
Died	28 or 29 October 1561 London
Resting place	St Stephen Walbrook, London 51°30′45.46″N 0°5′23.71″W / 51.5126278°N 0.0899194°W / 51.5126278; -0.0899194
Relations	Viscount Hill Sir Rowland Hill

Sir Rowland Hill (Hyll or Hylle or Hull or Hall) of Soulton (c. 1495–1561), was the publisher of the Geneva Bible,^[1] thereby earning the title "The First Protestant Lord Mayor of London", having held that office in 1549. He was a statesman, polymath, merchant and patron of art and philanthropist active through the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. He is associated with the recovery and development of Tudor English drama^[2] a generation before Shakespeare, and events that Hill was involved in may have shaped one or more Shakespearean characters.^[3][4]

As a political operator, he has been said to have been "influential at the highest level".^[5][6][7]