Frederic Hill
Encyclopedia
Frederic Hill was a Prison Inspector in Scotland
and England
, and a social and economic reformer.
, the sixth child of Thomas Wright Hill
and Sarah, his wife, whose maiden name
was Lea. He was educated in the small school run by his father, becoming an assistant teacher
there at the age of thirteen.
In 1819 the family moved from Birmingham to Edgbaston
and a bigger, better school which they named ‘Hazelwood’. Frederic became involved with the movement for political reform with his brothers, Rowland
, who would introduce the Penny Post
, and Matthew
, who would become an MP for Hull. The people were not represented by Parliament, but only a section of the ruling class, mainly the land-owning aristocracy. Political Unions were set up all around the country to press for change and Frederic became a prominent member of the Birmingham Union
. As a result of this pressure the Reform Bill of 1832
was passed.
Two years later Frederic obtained the post of parliamentary secretary
to Mr. Sergeant Wilde (afterwards Lord Truro). As part of his brief he had to provide his employer with accurate information on any subject on which he intended to speak. In 1835 the Duke of Richmond
introduced into Parliament a Bill to appoint Inspectors of Prisons, four for England and one for Scotland. Frederic Hill decided to apply.
“Well do I remember the arrival of the letter from Lord John Russell,” Frederic wrote many years later, “ informing me that I was appointed an inspector of prisons. I was sitting reading in Matthew’s chambers in Chancery Lane, and such was my delight that I skipped about the room for joy, and, tradition says, jumped over a chair!”
His complete ignorance on the subject of prisons proved to be no barrier to his appointment as inspector. He was told by the Home Secretary
that Scotland had been “[chosen] as your chief district because there is most work to be done there and I know you will do it”. The counties of Northumberland and Durham were also to be under his supervision.
Frederic Hill realized that he needed advice before jumping into the stormy seas of the Scottish prison system
. He visited Elizabeth Fry
who, with her brother, Joseph Gurney
, had written a book about the state of Scottish prisons in 1819. She thought the summary of their findings was still applicable.
Upon his arrival in Scotland, Frederic found the condition of most prisoners worse than expected. They had dirty straw for bedding, unglazed windows, cold, damp cells and were “herded together, young and old, good or bad, without any distinction as to their various offences, and were left to corrupt one another. No work was provided, and they passed their time in idleness, drunkenness and gambling.”
Hill made various suggestions to Lord John Russell, one of the most important being that the management of all the prisons in Scotland should be placed under one directing authority. As a result of this recommendation, the Act of 1839 appointed a Board of Directors of Prisons “invested with Power to Erect and maintain proper Prisons, and regulate the Discipline and Management of all Prisons in Scotland, and for raising the necessary Funds by means of a general Assessment on Property within the several Counties and Burghs in manner hereinafter provided”.
A new regime was about to begin throughout the Scottish prison system and Frederic Hill was at the heart of it. 1839 was an exciting year for him as it was then he met his future wife, Martha Cowper. She was as concerned about social reform as Frederic and took a great interest in his work as a Prison Inspector. They married in 1840 beginning, as he later recorded, “nearly fifty years of uninterrupted connubial happiness”.
In 1847, after twelve years in Scotland, Frederic applied to be an inspector of English prisons. His district encompassed the whole of the north of England
and North Wales
. He was immediately faced with a system that had seen little in the way of reform and where several governors were unfit for their posts. Although he pressed for change he found a great resistance to his ideas and became dispirited. His brother, Rowland, asked him to accept the post of assistant secretary at the Post Office
, an offer which was timely and gratefully received. He moved to Hampstead with his wife and two daughters, Constance and Ellen. Although no longer an inspector of prisons, Frederic retained an interest, connecting himself with the Law Amendment Society, the Metropolitan Discharged Prisoners’ Aid Society and the Reform and Refuge Union.
Frederic Hill retired from public life in 1876, though he still retained a lively interest in various societies and charitable committees.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and a social and economic reformer.
Biography
Frederic Hill was born at Hilltop, a house at the summit of Gough Street, BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, the sixth child of Thomas Wright Hill
Thomas Wright Hill
Thomas Wright Hill was a mathematician and schoolmaster. He is credited as inventing the single transferable vote in 1819...
and Sarah, his wife, whose maiden name
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
was Lea. He was educated in the small school run by his father, becoming an assistant teacher
Assistant teacher
Assistant teachers are additional teachers assisting a primary teacher, often in the same class room. An example for the use of assistant teachers is the German Assistant teacher programme of the Educational Exchange Service....
there at the age of thirteen.
In 1819 the family moved from Birmingham to Edgbaston
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
and a bigger, better school which they named ‘Hazelwood’. Frederic became involved with the movement for political reform with his brothers, Rowland
Rowland Hill
Rowland Hill may refer to:* Rowland Hill , English Member of Parliament for the City of London* Sir Rowland Hill, 1st Baronet Hill of Hawkstone , built Hawkstone Park follies...
, who would introduce the Penny Post
Penny Post
The Penny Post is any one of several postal systems in which normal letters could be sent for one penny.-London Penny Post:In England, the Post Office had a monopoly on the collection and carriage of letters between post towns but there was no delivery system until the London Penny Post was...
, and Matthew
Matthew Davenport Hill
Matthew Davenport Hill was an English lawyer and penologist.He was born at Birmingham, where his father, Thomas Wright Hill, for long conducted a private school. He was a brother of Sir Rowland Hill. He acted as assistant in his father's school, but in 1819 was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn...
, who would become an MP for Hull. The people were not represented by Parliament, but only a section of the ruling class, mainly the land-owning aristocracy. Political Unions were set up all around the country to press for change and Frederic became a prominent member of the Birmingham Union
Birmingham Political Union
The Birmingham Political Union was a political organisation in Great Britain during the early nineteenth century. Founded by Thomas Attwood, its original purpose was to campaign in favour of extending and redistributing suffrage rights to the working class of the kind set out in the Reform Bill of...
. As a result of this pressure the Reform Bill of 1832
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...
was passed.
Two years later Frederic obtained the post of parliamentary secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to Mr. Sergeant Wilde (afterwards Lord Truro). As part of his brief he had to provide his employer with accurate information on any subject on which he intended to speak. In 1835 the Duke of Richmond
Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond
Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond and 5th Duke of Lennox KG, PC , styled Earl of March until in 1819, was a British soldier, politician and a prominent Conservative.-Background and education:...
introduced into Parliament a Bill to appoint Inspectors of Prisons, four for England and one for Scotland. Frederic Hill decided to apply.
“Well do I remember the arrival of the letter from Lord John Russell,” Frederic wrote many years later, “ informing me that I was appointed an inspector of prisons. I was sitting reading in Matthew’s chambers in Chancery Lane, and such was my delight that I skipped about the room for joy, and, tradition says, jumped over a chair!”
His complete ignorance on the subject of prisons proved to be no barrier to his appointment as inspector. He was told by the Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
that Scotland had been “[chosen] as your chief district because there is most work to be done there and I know you will do it”. The counties of Northumberland and Durham were also to be under his supervision.
Frederic Hill realized that he needed advice before jumping into the stormy seas of the Scottish prison system
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. He visited Elizabeth Fry
Elizabeth Fry
Elizabeth Fry , née Gurney, was an English prison reformer, social reformer and, as a Quaker, a Christian philanthropist...
who, with her brother, Joseph Gurney
Joseph Gurney
Joseph Gurney, , was a British shorthand writer and biblical scholar, notable for his publications and work with the Religious Tract Society.Gurney was the eldest son of William Brodie Gurney, and was born in London on 15 October 1804....
, had written a book about the state of Scottish prisons in 1819. She thought the summary of their findings was still applicable.
Upon his arrival in Scotland, Frederic found the condition of most prisoners worse than expected. They had dirty straw for bedding, unglazed windows, cold, damp cells and were “herded together, young and old, good or bad, without any distinction as to their various offences, and were left to corrupt one another. No work was provided, and they passed their time in idleness, drunkenness and gambling.”
Hill made various suggestions to Lord John Russell, one of the most important being that the management of all the prisons in Scotland should be placed under one directing authority. As a result of this recommendation, the Act of 1839 appointed a Board of Directors of Prisons “invested with Power to Erect and maintain proper Prisons, and regulate the Discipline and Management of all Prisons in Scotland, and for raising the necessary Funds by means of a general Assessment on Property within the several Counties and Burghs in manner hereinafter provided”.
A new regime was about to begin throughout the Scottish prison system and Frederic Hill was at the heart of it. 1839 was an exciting year for him as it was then he met his future wife, Martha Cowper. She was as concerned about social reform as Frederic and took a great interest in his work as a Prison Inspector. They married in 1840 beginning, as he later recorded, “nearly fifty years of uninterrupted connubial happiness”.
In 1847, after twelve years in Scotland, Frederic applied to be an inspector of English prisons. His district encompassed the whole of the north of England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
and North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
. He was immediately faced with a system that had seen little in the way of reform and where several governors were unfit for their posts. Although he pressed for change he found a great resistance to his ideas and became dispirited. His brother, Rowland, asked him to accept the post of assistant secretary at the Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, an offer which was timely and gratefully received. He moved to Hampstead with his wife and two daughters, Constance and Ellen. Although no longer an inspector of prisons, Frederic retained an interest, connecting himself with the Law Amendment Society, the Metropolitan Discharged Prisoners’ Aid Society and the Reform and Refuge Union.
Frederic Hill retired from public life in 1876, though he still retained a lively interest in various societies and charitable committees.
Works
- National Education, its Present State and Prospects, 1836
- Crime, its Amount, Causes and Remedies, 1853
- Frederic Hill, an autobiography, edited by Constance Hill, 1894