The son of James Hills, he was born at Neechindipur in British India in May 1837. He was educated at Edinburgh Academy, before studying in England at Rugby School. After completing his education, Hills went to British India as a merchant. There he played club cricket for Calcutta Cricket and Club. Hills played two first-class matches for the Marylebone Cricket Club nine years apart. The first came against Lancashire in 1867, with the second coming against Derbyshire in 1876. He scored 17 runs in his two matches, with a highest score of 8. In 1896, Hills married Agnes Leonore Hay of Bothwell, Lanarkshire. The couple would have eight children, one of whom was killed during the Second World War. They lived in Aberdeenshire at Keith Hall, with Hills dying there in January 1909. His brother was James Hills-Johnes, a recipient of the Victoria Cross during the Siege of Delhi in 1857.