Capt. Richard Hill ¹

From the "Miles Files" - Richard was born in 1608 at England. Lucy Ames Edwards showed his birth as 1622 in England. However, Henrietta Dawson (Ayres) Sheppard in her extensive work entitled Ayres-Dawson and Allied Lines shows that Captain Richard Hill, a co-founder of the Province of Maryland, was born in England circa 1608-10.

The following is from the scholarly work: Henrietta Dawson (Ayres) Sheppard, Ayres - Dawson and Allied Families, Volume 1, Recording the ancestry of Richard Johnson Ayres Jr. of Accomack County, Virginia and of his wife Elizabeth Hack Dawson of Loudoun County, Virginia, p. 95-148 (Hill family), Volume I, The American Historical Company, Inc., New York, 1961. Captain Richard Hill was a co-founder of the Providence of Maryland. He was born in England circa 1608-10 and was one of the 320 voyagers that came to St. Mary's County in the vessels the Ark and the Dove that sailed from Gravesend, England in 1633. They stopped at Isle of Wright and departed from Cowes, England on 22 Nov 1633 and landed in Maryland on 25 Mary 1634. He was one of the 15 ablemen who were selected for Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore, by his brother Leonard Calvert, because of the technical abilities to construct a new settlement. He was a carpenter and joiner. His name was first recorded in Maryland as Hills. He was first mentioned in the records of the settlement on 21 Feb 1638/39. Sometime between 1635 and 1640 Richard Hill, carpenter, made a trip across the Chesapeake Bay to the Eastern Shore of Virginia to the region of Drake's Neck on the bay side, where he meet Robert Drake Jr., Gent., and thereafter married his sister Mary Drake, daughter of Robert Drake Sr., Gent., dec'd. The Drakes had settled there as early as 1634. Captain Richard Hill of Maryland was not the Richard Hill, a 13 year old servant, who in 1635 was brought into Accomack Co from England by William Melling, Gent. On 1 Feb 1642/3 he was named to a jury in St. Mary's County, MD and on 16 Mar 1642/3 Richard Hills, carpenter, brought suit against David Whitcliff for 340 lbs tobacco. This David Wickliffe later moved across the Potomac River to Wakefield in Washington Parish, Westmoreland County and his daughter married John Washington of Bridges Creek. On 11 Jan 1643/4 Richard Hill, carpenter, brought suit against John Hollis for 500 lbs tobacco and on 7 Oct 1644 Richard Hills, carpenter, brought suit against Joseph Edlo for 600 lbs tobacco and William Tompson, administrator of the estate of Robert Tuttey dec'd paid Rich: Hill 40 lbs tobacco. All of these court actions too place in St. Mary's County, MD, after which his name disappears from Maryland records for 5 years. After leaving Maryland late in 1644 or early 1645, and moving to Westmoreland Co, VA, only twice later in his life does Richard Hill appear as having dealings with Marylanders, in 1649 and 1650. In 1645 he evidently made a journey to England and returned to Accomack County by 18 Jun 1647 with his wife Mary, a daughter of Robert Drake, Gent., and Joan (Gawton) Drake, of the noted Drake family of Devonshire, Dorset, London and vicinity, whom was in Accomack County by 1634, and their daughter Mary Hill. It was not until 10 May 1652, almost 5 years later, that he exercised his right to the 300 acres. During these 5 years he crossed over the Chesapeake Bay with his family and entered upon some ventures in the part of Northumberland Co, VA that in July 1653 became set off from that county as the new county of Westmoreland. It was in that part of the Westmoreland region that his son Richard Hill Junior and daughter Patience were most likely born. On 24 Jan 1651/2 Richard Hill was on a jury in Northumberland Co, VA. On 30 Mar 1652 he was on a visit to Northampton Co, VA when he gave the oath of allegiance to the Commonwealth of England. On 10 May 1652 Richard Hill returned briefly to the northern part of N'hamp Co (now Accomack Co) when he made use of the certificate for 300 acres of land near his wife relatives. Capt. Richard Hill, who evidently had a sailing vessel, seems to have entered into speculation in lands in Westmoreland County over considerable periods of time. He began purchases of land in there about 1655, while holding the land on the Eastern Shore near his wife's family. On 12 Jul 1655 he purchased 300 acres in Westmoreland County from John Brooke which was at the head of Pope's Creek. On 14 Feb 1660/1 Richard Hill and wife Mary, when living between Pope's Creek and Mattox Creek in Appomattox Parish, later named Washington Parish, sold nearly all of the 300 acres to Richard Griffin. On 4 Sep 1661 Richard Hill received a patent in Westmoreland County for 663 ½ acres on the south side of Potomac River, 500 acres on Pope's Creek. On 18 Aug 1662 Richard Hill and his wife Mary sold 63 ½ acres to John Fissell. By this time Richard Hill and his wife Mary decided to remove permanently to the Eastern Shore of Virginia where her Drake family and other lived on land adjoining Richard's 300 acres. On 29 Oct 1662 Richard began to "cash in" on the 20 headrights he had obtained as a certificate was granted to Richard Hill Senior for 1,000 acres due him for a list of 20 individuals, including a John Ayres. On 23 Feb 1663 he was granted a patent in Accomack County for 1,000 acres at Hunting Creek bounded on the north by the creek, and running southerly towards Deep Creek. He called a part of his land on Hunting Creek as on Drake's Neck. His son Richard Hill Junior had become of age and on the same date, 23 Feb 1663, and was allowed by his father to turn in 4 headrights and to receive for them 200 acres of land in Accomack County in the woods near the head of Occahannock Creek adjoining a great swamp separating it from the land of William Taylor. On 2 Sep 1664 Richard Hill Junior was granted a patent for 650 acres near the head of Occahannock Creek near Alphonso Ball, James Gray, William Taylor and Bartholomew Meares, 200 from the above and 450 more for transporting 9 other persons. On 29 May 1665 Richard Hill Senior and his wife Mary made their last sale of property in Westmoreland County on Pope's Creek (now called Wakefield) next door to Col. John Washington. On 17 Dec 1667 Capt. Richard Hill appears as a Justice of the Accomack Court and served for several years. He was reappointed on 17 May 1675. When Capt. Richard Hill wrote his will on 26 Mar 1688 he did not name his son Richard Hill Junior. Evidently Richard Junior had gone to England; he had become a master mariner, succeeding his father and so became entitled to the designation of Captain. On 16 Aug 1690 the Lt. Governor of Virginia, Francis Nicholson, had received a letter from the gentlemen that preserve the peace and execute laws in Maryland wherein they informed him that one Capt. Richard Hill an inhabitant in Maryland who was now on board a ship in the fleet going for England had uttered diverse treasonable words against their Majesty and had raised forces to oppose their Majesty's interest in Maryland. This Richard Hill Jr. had left Accomack County before Aug 1687 and before then had settled in Somerset Co, MD. The 29 Aug 1687 will of William Stevens of Rehoboth in Pocomoke, Somerset Co, MD referred to the plantation on which Richard Hill now lives as tenant of Edmund Howard. Richard seems to have received his patrimony long before his father died and thereafter to have followed his own inclinations.

Richard Hill made his will on Mar 26 1688 and was proven Nov 21 1694 at Accomack Co., VA (as Capt. Richard Hill of Hunting Creek):
- To grandson Francis Ayres 200a at the head of Hunting Creek between 2 freshwater branches known by the name of Drake's Neck and to be in the bottom thereof opposite & adjoining to a parcel of land formerly given to said Francis Ayres by Will Goures dec'd.
- To John Ayres Jr. 200a in Drake's Neck adjoining land given him by William Goures.
- To Richard Hill Ayres 300a at "Chingoteage," to his two brothers, Edmond & Henry Ayres plantation where thier father now lives after the death of their mother and father.
- To 2 grandsons Richard Drummond & John Drummond, which said John Drummond was born 21 Mar 1687/8, sons of John Drummond, 1100a where I now live.
- To grandson Hill Drummond 300a at "Chingotege," being 1/2 of my divident and plantation and the other 300a to Richard Ayres aforesaid.
- To grandson Steven Drummond 300a in Drakes Neck adjoining the land of George Middleton.
- To Drake Drummond 300a in Drakes Neck between Francis and John Ayres.
- Wife Mary Hill Executrix, John Ayres & John Drummond Executors. Wife to have personal estate for life then to my daughters Mary Ayres and Patience Drummond. Witnesses: Nicholas Hill, John Lewis and Richard Grinnold. (AccVAW-1692/1715:62)

Richard married Mary Drake, daughter of Robert Drake and Joan Gawton, about 1645 in MD?. (Mary Drake was born in 1625 in Merstham, Surrey, England and died after 22 Mar 1692 in Accomack Co., VA.)