Hill Family Crest framed artprint

The Hill Family Crest framed artprint. Beautifully illustrated. Carefully researched. Uniquely personal.

Whether it’s a gift to celebrate a milestone birthday, a wedding or a housewarming—this piece is an instant heirloom.

The origin of the name Hill

Hill is an ancient English and Anglo-Irish topographic surname derived from Old English hyll (referring to an ancestor residing on or near a prominent hill). Establishing influential seats across Shropshire (Hawkstone Hall), Worcestershire, Devon, and Hillsborough in County Down (Ireland), the family rose to premier aristocracy as Marquesses of Downshire and Viscounts Hill, serving as High Sheriffs, generals, and parliamentary leaders. Codified early in feudal rolls, the name appears in the 1273 Hundred Rolls of Norfolk (Gilbert de la Hille).

The symbolism of the Hill coat of arms

Commanding and dignified, the Hill coat of arms features an argent / silver or white shield powdered with black ermine spots, charged with a central broad black horizontal band (fess) bearing a silver castle or tower. In classical heraldry, the silver field with ermine spots denotes high judicial purity, sincerity, and unblemished nobility. The black horizontal band and silver castle symbolise architectural strength, territorial defense, and steadfast guardianship over manorial lands. Below, the motto scroll displays Avances, translating from French to "Advance." The formal recognition of this coat of arms was recorded in the Heralds' Visitations of Shropshire and registered in the Ulster Office of Arms for Hill of Hillsborough.

The history of the Hill coat of arms

The earliest documented records of this armorial bearing trace back to the early 14th century with Hugo de Hull (c. 1300–1358), who acquired lands through his marriage to Eleanor de Longslow, establishing a prominent gentry line centered at Buntingsdale and Court of Hill. The official written blazon was formally registered by royal heralds during the 16th- and 17th-century Heralds' Visitations of Shropshire, preserved in the British Library’s Harleian Manuscripts (specifically Harl. MS 1241 and 1396).

The most prominent surviving physical artifact is carved directly into the exterior stonework of Court of Hill in the parish of Nash, South Shropshire. Mounted above the mansion's south entrance door, an armorial stone tablet dated 1683 displays this exact shield—a three-towered silver castle set on a black horizontal band across an ermine field—installed by Andrew Hill when he rebuilt the medieval family seat. The design was continuously used across generations, eventually being borne by prominent military figures such as General Rowland Hill (1st Viscount Hill, hero of the Napoleonic Wars), making it one of the most thoroughly documented 14th-century armorial lines in Shropshire history.

Historical figures

Sir Rowland Hill (1492–1561): Lord Mayor of London, merchant governor, and major civic philanthropist.
Lady Mary Hill, Marchioness of Downshire (1764–1836): Irish peeress, landowner, and political figure.
General Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill (1772–1842): Famed British army general and trusted right-hand commander to the Duke of Wellington.

Product details

Ayous wood 0.75″ (1.9 cm) thick frame from renewable forests
Paper thickness: 10.3 mil (0.26 mm)
Paper weight: 189 g/m²
Lightweight & acrylite front protector
Hanging hardware included

No Warehouses. No Waste. Just for you, made to order

This product is printed especially for you when ordered, one at a time, by royal decree of Mother Nature to keep the realm beautiful. Family Crests Store guarantees your custom treasure meets all EU and USA safety standards.

About the artist

Each coat of arms in the Family Crests Store is an artwork by heraldic artist Éamonn Breathnach. All are carefully researched, drawing from the earliest available records across multiple heraldic archives. Noted for their elegance and attention to detail, these artworks make meaningful gifts for family occasions.