John Knill

John Knill (1 January 1733 – 29 March 1811) was an English attorney who served as the Collector of Customs at St Ives, Cornwall, from 1762 to 1782. Knill is primarily remembered for having his own memorial constructed, a three-sided granite obelisk known as Knill's Steeple (also known as Knill's Monument or "The Steeple"), which still stands. It was sited on the summit of Worvas Hill with views over St Ives Bay with intention that he should be interred in a vault within it; however, he was laid to rest in London. Slightly eccentric, Knill left money and specific instructions in his will for a celebration to be held in St Ives every five years, which continues and was most recently observed in 2021. Biography Knill was an attorney in Penzance, Cornwall, although little is known of his early life. He may have been a descendant of the namesake family of Knill, Herefordshire, which he visited in 1792, but this is uncertain. From 1762 to 1782, Knill served as the Collector of Customs at St Ives, Cornwall. The Cornishman newspaper claimed that he was engaged in privateering and, according to local tradition, he took he part in the smuggling trade. He was elected mayor of St Ives in 1767, although the duration of his term is unclear. During his time as mayor, he was responsible for St Ives building its first pier. From March 1773 to May 1774, Knill made a trip to the Colony of Jamaica, collecting taxes for King George III. It was during this assignment that Knill made his fortune.