Mr Oliver Hill, 17th century England

[Lesley Robertson]

Since things are quiet at the moment, I thought I'd introduce you to Mr Oliver Hill. This man is not a member of my family, nor linked to my OPS. He's the man who sat quietly through the meetings of the young Royal Society of London (the minutes of which I'm currently reading) until the end of the agenda was in sight, and then regularly started a long and generally offensive argument. "...all who believe otherwise are mistaken and in a great error" was a favourite phrase (to the leading lights of the RoySoc!)
His entry on the member's list says "A curious figure whose background would repay further investigation".
How could I resist?
He seems to have something in common with Jekyll & Hyde:
To the RoySoc (when he joined), he was the son of Adam Hill of Huntingdonshire, born about 1630 and educated at St John's College. One source says Cambridge, another says Oxford. His occupation according to the RoySoc was "religious pamphleteer". Dr Croune, at the request of Robert Boyle, proposed him for Fellowship in 1677. Within a week, he was telling the meetings that they were doing things wrongly and promising to prove it.
To many of the spiritualists in London, he was an author of religious tracts and briefly (1702-1703) ran a paper which had at least 3 names - numbers 1-4 were the Weekly Remembrancer, 4 was the Weekly Remembrancer and Discoverer or Truths Spiritual and Temporal. Number 6 became the Tell-Truth Remembrancer..
Hill was among a small group who were removed from the RoySoc lists for not paying their subscriptions in 1682. The last mention of him that I have found was the list of his newspapers above, published in 1701. I don't know whether this is why some list his dates as 1630-1702, or whether I have missed something.
Apart from his father in the RoySoc membership roll, I have found no mention of family or anything else. Should anyone notice him, perhaps annoying another society or a congregation somewhere, I'd be interested to hear about it!

[suemalings]

There is will of Adam Hill (or Adami Hill) who died about 1661. He lived in Spaldwick, Huntingdonshire. Probably Cambridgeshire now. Trouble is that the will is a copy of the original and I am not sure I can be bothered to try and read it!

[Lesley Robertson]

THanks, Sue. I'll have a look for it.
He's not seriously important, it just seems a bit of an achievement to still be an irritant after more than 300 years!

This was a period during which some of the major discoveries (gravity, microorganisms, comets, etc) were being made, and I'm interested in how the members reacted to stuff that would have had headline treatment on modern major new channels. I wasn't expecting "you're all doing it wrong and I have a theory so I can prove it".
Of course he never did.

[Lesley Robertson]

Found it. I see what you mean.

[helachau]

Does this seem in character?
The History of the Royal Society of London for improving natural knowledge, from its first rise. Thomas Birch 1756 - vol 3.
"Mr Oliver Hill thought, that it was going about very much to begin with experiments and with theory, and affirmed that he had, upon what had passed at the last meeting made several animadversions ..."

[Lesley Robertson]

That’s him. It was in Birch that I first met him. All 4 volumes are on the Internet Arvhive, and fascinating. He wanders through vol 3 and the start of vol 4.

[helachau]

Just loved "animadversions"!

[helachau]

He pops up in Marie Boas Hall's "Promoting Experimental Learning" 1991 - but cannot spot a fully searchable on line version.

[Lesley Robertson]

Interesting. He seems pretty well known on the “Spiritual side”. I wonder whether he was trying to show the the Royal Society the error of their ways.

[helachau]

"A rod for the back of fools. In answer to Mr John Toland's book, which he calleth, Christianity not mysterious. To the lecture of Dr Joseph Brown, against the circulation of the blood, and to the answer of one Mr John Gardiner, Surgeon, to that pretended lecture. By Oliver Hill, author of the Non-circulation".
Publisher - Printed, and to be sold at Ed Evets, at the Green dragon, in St. Paul's Churchyard, and Elizabeth Mallet, by the Ditch-side, near Fleet-bridge, and at the Author's House in Nevil's-alley, in Fetter-lane (London). Year 1702

34 pages that read very much like your Oliver's style/approach - opening line begins "I have silenced Keith, the renegade Quaker,...".

Again, cannot find a searchable on line version - but can let you have a copy if required. You'll appreciate it's a very heavy read!