Origin of the phrase "King Of the Hill"

[astro]

My 9th grade daughter was told by her history teacher, this afternoon, that the origin of the phrase "King Of the Hill" is from the beginnings of the industrial revolution where crowded and dirty city tenements were common in London.

Chamber pots and trash would be dumped out into a central location and children would try to climb this pile of excrement and trash in an effort to be "King Of the Hill".

Aside from getting an 11 on the disgustometer this story sounds well... somewhat implausible. Would kids really want to climb a pile of filth and excrement? Dirt hills maybe, but poo hills?

What's the straight dope?

[cornflakes]

I played King of the Hill when I was a kid, but we used a big dirt pile, sewage piles being in short supply in the suburbs of the Seventies.

The game was played pretty much as you might think: all the kids tried to get to the top of the pile and hold off all comers. The kid who managed this was King of the Hill.

[mongrel_8]

I always thought it had to do with in battle the opposing sideas would attempt to take the high ground so as the have the advantage. So who won the high ground would be "King of the Hill".

[astro]

Just giving this topic one last nudge before putting it to bed in case anyone has any additional cites or reference info. There doesn't seem to be much of anything on the web re this.

Any help appreciated.