From the Books: The Life & Crimes of Lockey Hill

By Diana Arterian

The violin maker from an illustrious family—or the horse thief hanged for his crimes? This was the conflicting narrative that came up when I was writing about a violin in our inventory crafted by Lockey Hill around 1796.

Lockey Hill (1752-1796) is an early member of the Hill luthier dynasty, later W.E. Hill & Sons, that made an indelible impact on British violin making, with Lockey arguably the most distinguished British craftsman of the 18th century. Hill often made trade instruments for Longman & Co. or Longman & Broderip firms in London, apparently dying at the age of 58 in 1810. For 200 years, his death was misreported even in books—until a researcher in 2010 learned he was hanged in 1796 for stealing two horses.

Quick Facts
Born	1752 (some sources list 1756)
Died	February 1796, Newgate Prison, London
Known for	Trade violins for Longman & Co. / Longman & Broderip
Notable descendant	Great-grandson William Ebsworth Hill, founder of W. E. Hill & Sons

Who Was Lockey Hill?

As the writer at the shop, my task is often untangling knots. When we acquire or consign an instrument (or one in our inventory doesn't have a description), I not only carefully measure the instrument and give a sense of its physical qualities and sound, but also pen a thumbnail sketch of its maker. For older instruments, this often involves delving into the owner Tom's copious personal archive of books that describe their lives and the qualities (or quirks!) of their instruments. Some have glossy photos of instruments, others reduce a life to little more than a paragraph. Some books are thick enough to be doorstops, others as large as a small table. The variety of information helps me triangulate what, exactly, the luthier accomplished in their life.

In general, I try to lean on the Metzler Shop library. Still, I realize information does get updated beyond books from which I have give a good dust-dispersing blow before I crack them open. With Lockey Hill, a member of the illustrious Hill family of luthiers tracing back to the mid-1700s, the revelation about his life didn't happen until only fifteen years ago.

How a 200-Year-Old Mystery Came to Light

Hill's birth and death dates were generally listed as 1752–1810—that is, until the music scholar and curator Dr. Jenny Nex of University of Edinburgh dug through the trial records of the Old Bailey, London's criminal court. According to Dr. Nex, Hill died in 1796—by hanging. She titled her 2010 article in Strad Magazine "Lockey Hill's Hidden History: Luthier and Thief."

There are so many reasons my antennae went up when reading Dr. Nex's in-depth article, and it wasn't only the salacious reality of Lockey Hill's end otherwise papered over by his family (he is not mentioned on the London-based atelier's website when describing its family history). For one, Nex's name felt as if it could be lifted from a fantasy novel or Charles Dickens. And she did the archival digging only after the Old Bailey had digitized its archives in 2003—otherwise, it would've remained an unknown family secret. Dr. Nex also, movingly, includes words from Lockey Hill himself. "I have no counsel to aid and assist me," he told the court. "I hope I shall have one in you."

What the Trial Documents Tell Us

But, above all, like all great research, Dr. Nex's work opened up a matryoshka doll of details about an era and its politics through a single example. Lockey Hill's fate was bound up in the complexities of 18th century British life. Hill, apparently in dire straits, would often lift horses when shuffling between London, where he made instruments for John Thompson and James Longman, to Alvechurch, where Hill's extended family lived. You may be asking yourself why a person would be hanged for thievery (this, at least, was a question I asked myself!). During the 18th century, property was given premier importance—people were shipped off to the then-penal colony of Australia for stealing something as small as a silver spoon. And a horse had an incredible amount of value, not only as a means to move about but also, potentially, for labor, as well as infinite uses for a household.

This wasn't Hill's first arrest for horse stealing and, ultimately, according to Dr. Nex, his fate was due to the fact that his character witnesses were not present when Hill was called into the Old Bailey to plead his case. The two men Hill called in were the luthiers he had worked for for years. They were there the previous day, "but they are in a great way of business," Hill explained, "and they could not wait." Hill had a decent chance of not being consigned to the gallows—about one in three met such an end. But because Hill didn't have anyone to speak to his quality of character and, in all likelihood, claim he would never steal a £10 gelding again, of the eight people found guilty that day, Hill was the only whose execution was not postponed. Hill, instead, was thrown into Newgate prison until he was hanged there in February 1796. He was 45.

A Luthier’s Legacy Endures

Two of Hill’s sons would go on to make violins, one siring four luthier sons of his own. One of those men would have four more luthier children, and on and on, until William Ebsworth Hill, Lockey Hill's great-grandson, opened W. E. Hill & Sons shop, still in operation today.

This is the first of this series in which I'll write about the colorful and/or fascinating details I discover while writing about the amazing instruments we have in our inventory. The story of Lockey Hill was a particularly deep and circuitous rabbit hole, and may be one of the longer pieces I write. But who knows what else the instruments will reveal!

TLDR

Was Lockey Hill executed for stealing horses?
Sadly, yes. London’s Old Bailey prison court records reviewed by contemporary researcher Dr. Jenny Nex show he was convicted of horse theft and hanged in February 1796 at age 45.

Why didn't anyone know the truth for over two centuries?
Likely to avoid scandal, the Hill family omitted the episode in their public histories. Published works listed Hill’s death as 1810, and the Old Bailey records were only digitized in 2003.

Is Lockey Hill related to W. E. Hill & Sons family?
Yes — Lockey was the great-grandfather of William Ebsworth Hill, who founded the atelier in London in 1880.

Curious about the violin behind this story? Scope out our c. 1796 Lockey Hill violin, or come give it a play at our Glendale shop—we're always happy to wax history over an instrument. You can also browse more of our violins here, each with their own remarkable histories.