Sidney Bristol Popular Books

Sidney Bristol Biography & Facts

Simon Sidney Hill (1 October 1829 – 3 March 1908) was an English philanthropist, merchant, gentleman farmer, and justice of the peace. From beginnings as a linen merchant, he made his fortune as a colonial and general merchant trading from South Africa. He supported and endowed almshouses in Churchill and Lower Langford, and manses for Methodist clergy at Banwell and Cheddar. He founded Methodist churches at Port Elizabeth, Sandford, Shipham and Blagdon besides the Wesley Methodist church and school at Churchill. Many of his charitable foundations still survive. Early life Hill was born on 1 October 1829 at Berkeley Place in Clifton, Bristol, and was as baptised at St James' Priory, Bristol, on 1 November 1829. He was the sixth and youngest son of Thomas Hill (1778–1846),: 351–352  a former master sweep and soot merchant, and Elizabeth (1783–1857), née James.His father was apprenticed as a climbing boy from the age of eight, serving from 1787 to 1798, before joining the Royal Marines at Devonport, Plymouth. He left the navy after four years, returned to sweeping, but left it again to earn a living as a labourer in Devonport Dockyard. He returned to sweeping again in 1811 and followed it until his retirement. He was also a foreman to the Clifton Norwich Union Fire Insurance Office for twelve years, until one of his other sons took over the role. Thomas died on 7 October 1846(1846-10-07) (aged 68) when Sidney was just seventeen years old.Hill was educated at Portway House boarding school, located between Victoria Park and Partis College, in Weston, Bath. In September 1847, Sidney joined Sunday Methodist society classes, led by William Bobbett, at the Old Market Street chapel in Bristol, where he converted to Methodism. Hill would later dedicate Shipham Methodist Chapel to the memory of William. Life as a merchant Early years Described as a delicate boy, Hill did not follow in his father's soot business, although two of his brothers did. When he came of age, he inherited money from his father's estate that he used to open a small linen draper shop at Berkeley Place, Clifton. The business grew and he moved to larger premises at 7 Byron Place, Lower Berkeley Place, Clifton. However, by 1856 he was not in good health and his doctor advised him to travel to a country with a warmer climate. Hill sold the drapery business and embarked on a sea voyage to New Zealand, but when the ship berthed at Algoa Bay in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, he decided to remain there. The first letter he received there informed him of the death of his mother on 31 March 1857(1857-03-31) (aged 73), which left him bereaved.: 15 In 1857, Hill opened a dry goods store at Port Elizabeth, and in 1859, went into partnership with William Savage. Savage was the son of a former paper maker and stationer in Lewes, East Sussex. He had arrived in Port Elizabeth around 1849 and started a business selling stationery and hardware. Their partnership, Savage & Hill, Colonial and General Merchants, began trading commodities from 95 and 97 Main Street (southern side) in Port Elizabeth. They traded in anything from household hardware, refined sugar, ammunition, minerals, to ostrich feathers for the fashion trade and haberdashery industry.: 44  The bulk of their trade was transacted from Port Elizabeth, but as the business prospered, branches were opened in the principal towns of the Cape Colony and in the Colony of Natal. Marriage In 1864, Hill returned to London to direct the firm's large shipping interests from their offices at 41 Bow Lane, Cheapside, London, moving later to offices at 6 and 42 Palmerston Buildings in Bishopsgate Street. On 15 June 1864, he married Mary Ann Bobbett at the Wesleyan chapel, Churchill, North Somerset. The Reverend William Shaw Caldecott was Hill's best man, and later, the author of Mary Ann Hill's memorial sketch (1875).Bobbett was born on (1839-03-06)6 March 1839, the eldest daughter of John Winter and Frances Bobbett.: 3–4  John Winter Bobbett was a baker and corn and flour dealer, in partnership with his brother, and Hill's close friend, William Bobbett, at W. and J. W. Bobbett, on West Street, Old Market, Bristol. In 1849, Bobbett was sent to school; first to the Quaker Friends' Boarding School at Sidcot, near the village of Winscombe, North Somerset, and then to a finishing school, the Quaker Mount School in York.: 5–6  She was away from home for five years,: 6  and when she returned to Bristol, she became a housekeeper for her uncle, William Bobbett, at West Street, Bristol.Hill had met her before their marriage, when he had been invited to Sunday tea at Bristol, and then at Sidney Villa in Dinghurst, Churchill,: 9–10  after William Bobbett had moved there in 1859, following his retirement on 2 July 1859. Bobbett and Hill shared a staunch belief in the work of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, and this would influence much of their life, particularly Hill's later years after he purchased the Langford estate.: 44  Life in South Africa The Hills spent six months in London before Sidney's business took them back to South Africa, departing England on 10 February 1865 for a month long voyage to Port Elizabeth.: 17  Savage & Hill prospered after the growth of trade at Port Elizabeth following the discovery of diamonds at Griqualand West in 1870, and the subsequent completion of the railway to Kimberley, Northern Cape, in 1873. With the rapid expansion of the Cape Colony's railway network to the interior over the following years, the harbour of Port Elizabeth became the focus for serving import and export needs of a large area of the Cape's hinterland. The rapid economic development around the port, which followed the railway construction, caused Port Elizabeth to be nicknamed "the Liverpool of South Africa", after the major British city and port. Despite being engaged in an expanding business, Hill found time for furthering the work of the Wesleyan Methodist church at Port Elizabeth, occupying the offices of superintendent of the Sunday school, class leader, and chapel and circuit steward. In April 1870, Hill gave £550 (equivalent to £56,000 in 2021) towards the construction of the original Wesleyan Methodist chapel at Russell Road, Port Elizabeth. Death of Mary Ann Hill Around 1870, Mary Ann Hill was diagnosed with tuberculosis in her left lung.: 48  With her health failing, the Hills left South Africa for England on 8 April 1874.: 62  They decided to winter in Bournemouth due to the mild climate there, but after only five weeks' residence,: 63  Mary Ann died in the evening of 7 December 1874. She was buried at Arnos Vale Cemetery in Bristol.: 213  In 1881, her remains were removed from Arnos Vale and reinterred at the Wesleyan Methodist church, Churchill, that was built in her memory in 1880.: 47  Later life Return to England In mourning after Mary Ann's death, Hill returned to South Africa, but could not settle, and in June 1876, he decided to find somewhere to live near.... Discover the Sidney Bristol popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Sidney Bristol books.

Best Seller Sidney Bristol Books of 2024

  • Falling for His Best Friend synopsis, comments

    Falling for His Best Friend

    Sidney Bristol

    Carey’s had the hots for his best friend and outdoor adventures coworker Elise for two years, but the timing has never been right. Now they’re both single, and Carey wants to entic...

  • Festive Seduction synopsis, comments

    Festive Seduction

    Sidney Bristol

    Kinky bells, kinky bells, kink all the way!A playful evening spent with her Dominant was all Jade expected from a snowedin Christmas Eve. After a year of turmoil, she's ready for p...

  • Electric Engagement synopsis, comments

    Electric Engagement

    Sidney Bristol

    O come, ye, o come yewhen your Dom tells you to.Carla is done being the quiet, obedient woman her parents raised her to be. She's ready to ask for exactly what she wants, no matter...

  • Dream Vacation synopsis, comments

    Dream Vacation

    Sidney Bristol

    She’s ready to live a new life. Naomi has turned her life around and to celebrate she’s taking a decadent, tropical vacation. There’s just one problem. A tropical storm has blown ...