Sir John Taylor, 1st Baronet
| John Taylor | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 1745 Jamaica |
| Died | 8 May 1786 |
| Residence | Lysson Hall |
| Nationality | British |
Sir John Taylor FRS (1745 – 8 May 1786) was a fellow of the Royal Society who was created a baronet of Lysson Hall in Jamaica. He lived in London but he died in Jamaica.
Taylor was born in Jamaica in 1745 to Patrick and Martha Taylor. His Scottish father had been born with the surname Tailzour in Borrowfield, but he took his wife's name when they married. His eldest brother became a Jamaican attorney who represented the large number of absentee plantation owners and he was reputedly the richest person in Jamaica. Simon Taylor who owned his own plantations also served in the Jamaican assembly.
John Taylor was captured in a painting by Johann Zoffany of the Tribuna of the Uffizi in Florence in the 1770s. He appears to the right of the painting with Thomas Patch and Sir Horace Mann, 1st Baronet.
Taylor became a baronet on 1 September 1778. In the same year he married an heiress, Elizabeth Godden Houghton. They eventually had six children.
Simon Taylor died in 1813 and left his estates to John's son Simon and not to his own large illegitimate family, who were occasionally included. John Taylor's son lived only until 1815 which meant the end of the baronetcy. The fortune was inherited by John Taylor's daughter, Anna Susannah, who had married George Watson, who then added her surname to his.
Taylor was on a visit to the Lyssons plantation in Jamaica when he died in 1786 and his title was taken by his son. The year before he died he and his family were sketched in pastels by Daniel Gardner. The group consisted of Taylor, his wife Elizabeth, his brother Simon Taylor, and four of his children; Simon Richard Brisset, Anna Susanna, Elizabeth and Maria. Simon became the second and last baronet of Lysson Hall.
In addition to the paintings, Taylor is also a key figure in correspondence that is now preserved as a record of life in Jamaica. The letters are from Simon to John and they record world events, the state of the plantations and complaints from Simon that he is doing all the work and John is spending all the money.
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