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The Wonderful Tudor World of the Lodges and the Hills

Filling the Civic Void: Sir Rowland Hill’s Legacy

By 13 February 2024September 13th, 2024No Comments

“Wheresoever a good dede was to be done for the common weal of his countrymen, he was ready to further the cause.”

‘Old Sir Rowland’: Publisher of the Geneva Bible and insiration for AS YOU LIKE IT

The Reformation, a period of religious upheaval and social change, had a profound impact on English society. One of the most significant consequences of this era was the dissolution of the monasteries, which had served as vital centers of charitable activity and community support for centuries.

With the closure of these institutions, a wide range of civic services that had traditionally been provided by the monasteries were left in a state of flux. These services included education, healthcare, the patronage of arts, support for the vulnerable, and employment.

Sir Rowland Hill was foremost in the effort to fill this civic void. His dedication to charitable causes and his commitment to improving the lives of others made him an explicit exemplar of the values that had once been upheld by the monasteries.

This blog post will examine how Sir Rowland Hill’s work helped to address these challenges and preserve the spirit of civic responsibility that had been so deeply rooted in English culture.

Edward VI granting the Royal Charter to Bridewell Hospital********

  • Religious Endeavors:

    • Published the Geneva Bible and supported scholars
    • Built a spacious church in his own parish of Hodnet.
    • Built the neighboring church of Stoke.

  • Infrastructure Projects:

    • Built Tern and Atcham Bridges of hewn stone.
    • Built other large bridges of timber.
    • Made and paved various highways.

  • Education:

    • Helped to establish Shrewsbury School (a town where there would need to be a Royal foundation), personally founded a school in Market Drayton, and supported a school in London within St. Thomas Acon Hospital near Old Jewry in 1543. Guided the establishment of Merchant Taylor’s School via association with Thomas White.
    • Founded exhibitions and educated students at Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
    • Supported scholars at the Inns of Court.

  • Health:

    • Appointed Dr. John Caius to attend to the sweating sickness in Shrewsbury and may have helped to support him with the Royal College of Physicians and the refounding of the Cambridge College that carries Caius’s name.
    • Refounded all the hospials of London and superintended them personally
    • Donated £500 to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London.
    • Donated £600 to Christ’s Hospital.
    • Donated to other hospitals in London.

  • Community Support:

    • Clothed annually three hundred poor people in his neighborhood.
    • Donated £500 to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London.
    • Donated £600 to Christ Church Hospital.
    • Donated to other hospitals in London.
    • Bequeathed £150 to the poor of all the Wards in London upon his death.

  • General Philanthropy:

    • Devoted his life to charitable causes.
    • Supported the widow and the fatherless.
    • Exhibited a generous and munificent spirit.