Robert Taylor (Senior) of Ember Court

The Robert Taylor (c. 1752-1823) of Ember Court Surrey and the Robert Taylor of Robert Taylor & Co., in Kingston in the early 1800s, are implicitly identified as the same man by Higman and explicitly equated by the commentary in the Taylor papers: a significant body of correspondence between Simon Taylor of Jamaica and Robert Taylor (Simon’s second cousin, who after a period as a sailor in the East India Trade, set up a merchant house in London with A. Renny, which became Simon Taylor’s main agents in London), December 1791-June 1813, dealing with the sugar plantations, commercial affairs, politics, health and family life, along with letters from the tutor, William McCulloch, concerning the studies and travels during the Grand Tour of Simon Richard Brissett Taylor in Europe; correspondence between Simon Taylor and John Taylor (brother of Robert Taylor and second cousin to Simon, who after a period in New York, became Simon’s agent in Kingston, Jamaica), June 1781-February 1810, including material on shipping, Bristol and Liverpool merchants, the demand for sugar and rum, the state of the plantations, the Maroon War, family news, the threat of war, business transactions and the sale of slaves; correspondence between William Sleigh (lawyer, whose daughter Margaret married Robert Taylor) and Simon Taylor, 1794-1796.

Boyle's 1819 shows Robert Taylor of 61 Harley Street and Amber [sic] Court. The will of Robert Taylor of Harley Street proved 21/10/1823 is the will of Robert Taylor of Ember Court, which alludes to his Harley Street dweliing house and his property in Jamaica. He left £1000 p.a. to his wife Margaret Ann, £10,000 to his son Robert, £20,000 to his son Simon; he had settled £10,000 on his daughter Jean Ann on her marriage to Sir Charles Sullivan bart. He left his coffee estates described as Lucky Valley and Mount Atlas in trust to his three children as tenants-in-common subject to the payment of his debts to Simon Taylor of Jamaica and of an annuity of £500 p.a. (in addition to the £1000 p.a. above) to his wife Margaret Ann. The second will for a Robert Taylor of Harley Street shown by TNA as proved 30/04/1825 refers to three codicils by Robert Taylor of Ember Court proved on that date. The codicils refer inter alia to Robert Taylor's counting-house at Billiter Square, which he left to his second son Simon Taylor (q.v., under Simon Taylor of London). Robert Taylor Esq., of Ember Court, buried aged 71 years 26/08/1823 at St Mary Thames Ditton. Robert Taylor of St Georges Square Hanover had married Margaret Ann Sleigh 06/09/1789 St George Hanworth.

Adam Matthew Publications 'Plantation life in the Caribbean' Part 1: Jamaica, c1765-1848: The Taylor and Vanneck-Arcedekne Papers from Cambridge University Library and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London http://www.ampltd.co.uk/collections_az/plantation-life-1/description.aspx. [Plantation Jamaica pp. 145-6].

Boyle's Directory, 1819; PROB 11/1677/42; PROB 11/1698/331; Ancestry.com, London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 [database online]; Ancestry.com, London, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1906 [database online].