Background
Taylor was born in Jamaica in 1745 to Patrick and Martha Taylor.
Taylor was born in Jamaica in 1745 to Patrick and Martha Taylor.
He lived in London but he died 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. They eventually had six children.
In 1813 Simon Taylor died and left his vast fortune to John Taylor"s son, He 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 only lived until 1815 which was the end of the baronetcy.
The fortune was inherited by John Taylor"s daughter, Anna.
The year before he died he and his family were sketched in pastels by Daniel Gardner. 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.
Royal Society.