John Hill

John Hill, often referred to as Sir John Hill, was an English author and botanist born around 1714. Sources describe him as an unusually versatile figure: in addition to writing extensively, he also worked as an apothecary and was active in the theater and in music.

He wrote on an impressive range of subjects, but his lasting reputation comes from natural history and botany. Encyclopaedia Britannica notes that he compiled one of the first books on British flora to use the Linnaean system, while Wikipedia highlights his large illustrated botanical project The Vegetable System.

Hill also had a reputation for being energetic and combative in literary life, contributing to periodicals and involving himself in public disputes with other writers and scientists. He died in London in November 1775.