[1] He was born in St Boniface parish, Bonchurch, the second son of Col. William Hill, who served as aide-de-camp to Count de Lipp in the Seven Years' War, and Elizabeth Popham (1744–1809), great-granddaughter of MP Alexander Popham.
[2][3][4] Hill entered the Royal Navy 10 November 1787 as a volunteer on board HMS Vestal, commanded by Sir Richard John Strachan.
On his return to England in the autumn of 1793 Hill joined HMS Boyne, commanded by Sir John Jervis.
After various other appointments, he later commanded HMS Naiad, successfully blockading the French ports on their coast and destroying much of their coastal trade.
[6] He married, first, Anne, daughter of the late Reverend James Worsley, of Gatcombe, Isle of Wight, England; and secondly, Caroline, daughter of the late Joseph Bettesworth, Esquire, of Ryde, Isle of Wight, England.