T Alex Hill

T. Alex. Hill, print seller and publisher to the Queen and Royal Scottish Academy, lived at No. 3 for about a year, in 1879-80.¹ The previous year his residence was at17 Cornwall Street and the following year at 17 Barnton Terrace.² His business premises were at 13 South Castle Street.

Thomas Alexander Hill was born at 6 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh on 09 June 1832, son of publisher and art patron Alexander Hill (1799-1866) and his wife Agnes Paton.³ His mother died six days later on 15 June 1832.⁴ He was a nephew of the photography pioneer David Octavius Hill (1802-1870).

In December 1866, the Royal Scottish Academy appointed him publisher and printseller to the Academy, in succession to his father, who died in June 1866.⁵ In January 1867, he succeeded his father as publisher and printseller to the Queen in Edinburgh.⁶  In the 1891 census, he was described as a retired publisher, and living in Kentish Town, London.⁷ He died 21 November 1898, at 23 Ospringe Road, London aged 66.⁸

Thomas Alexander Hill married Jessie McPherson on 01 June 1870, at Arrochar, Dunbartonshire.⁹ Their son Ranald Graham Hill was born at No. 3 Malta Terrace on 12 December 1879.¹⁰ Their sons Norman Alexander Hill (born 04 April 1871¹¹), Ian McPherson Hill (born 17 May 1872¹²) and Douglas Hill (born 19 August 1874¹³) would also have been living there.

1. PO Directory 1879-80.
2. PO Directories 1878-79 and 1880-81.
3. Birth announcements. 1832. Edinburgh Evening Courant. 14 June 1832. HILL, Mrs Alexander. p. 03, col. 03. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk: accessed 03 July 2021.
4. Death announcements. 1832. Edinburgh Evening Courant. 23 June 1832. PATON, Agnes. p.  02, col. 05. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk: accessed 03 July 2021.
5. Edinburgh Evening Courant. 21 December 1866. p. 02, col. 04.
6. Caledonian Mercury. 09 January 1867. p. 03, col. 02.
7. Census records. England. St Pancras, London. 05 April 1891. HILL, Thomas A. (Head). RG12/139/110, p. 31. https://ancestry.co.uk: accessed 03 July 2021.
8. Death announcements. 1898. Edinburgh Evening News. 28 November 1898. HILL, Thomas Alexander.
9. Marriages (SR) Scotland. Arrochar, Dunbartonshire. 01 June 1870. HILL, Thomas Alexander and McPHERSON, Jessie. 492/ 2. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 03 July 2021.
10. Births announcements. 1879. The Scotsman. 13 December 1879. HILL. Births index (SR) Scotland. St George’s, Edinburgh. HILL, Ranald Graham. 685/1 2185. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 03 July 2021.
11. Births index (SR) Scotland. St George’s, Edinburgh. 04 April 1871. HILL, Norman Alexander. 685/1 474. https://familysearch.org: accessed 03 July 2021.
12. Births index (SR) Scotland. St George’s, Edinburgh. 17 May 1872. HILL, Ian McPherson. 685/1 736. https://familysearch.org: accessed 03 July 2021.
13. Births announcements. 1874. Edinburgh Evening News. 20 August 1874. HILL. p. 04, col. 04. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk: accessed 03 July 2021.