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Actions Help FAQs Can't find what you're looking for? Browse Collections A-Z University of London	Taylor family papers Remove from selection Add to selection Request this item TitleTaylor family papers Held atInstitute of Commonwealth Studies Reference codeICS120 Date1760-1835 [predominantly 1770-1819] Creator Taylor family (fl 1740-1853) plantation owners in JamaicaMore Info on CreatorLess Info on Creator The Taylor dynasty in Jamaica was begun by Patrick Taylor (formerly Tailzour) who came out to Jamaica from Scotland and established himself as a merchant in Kingston. Simon Taylor (1740-1813) , Patrick and his wife Martha's eldest son, became successful as the owner of several sugar plantations and was said to the be richest man on the island at the time of his death. Simon Taylor had no legitimate children, but kept in regular contact with the children of his brother Sir John Taylor and sister Anne Graham, exerting a strong influence over the family. Other, more distant relatives also became close business associates. On Simon Taylor's death, his estates passed first to his nephew, Sir Simon Richard Brissett Taylor (1785-1815) and subsequently to his niece Mrs Anna Susannah Watson Taylor (1781-1853). Scope and ContentMainly comprising letters written and received between 1770 and 1835 by Simon Taylor, his family and heirs, and his friends, agents and business partners. About a quarter of the letters are contained in Simon Taylor's letterbooks. Though the majority of the correspondence consists of letters either to or from Simon Taylor up to his death in 1813, there is also correspondence between other family members, notably his brother Sir John Taylor, his sister-in-law Elizabeth Haughton Taylor, Sir John and Lady Taylor's son (and Simon Taylor's heir) Sir Simon Richard Brissett Taylor, and Simon Taylor's second cousin and business partner Robert Taylor. The subject matter ranges from the domestic (illness, family quarrels, disinheritance, bigamy) to business (slaves, sugar, trade and shipping, the effects of hurricanes, the introduction of a steam engine on an estate), to politics (the Maroon and French wars, the anti-slavery movement and abolition of the slave trade). The collection also includes detailed reports on the estates made for Anna Susannah Watson Taylor in 1835. Conditions governing accessAt least 24 hours notice before a research visit. Access to this collection is unrestricted for the purpose of private study and personal research within the supervised environment and restrictions of the library. Extent12 letterbooks and approximately 1,400 letters Physical descriptionMS (excepting photocopied surrogates) System of ArrangementBy correspondent and by date Finding aidsHandlist and index of principal correspondents available in the Special Collections reading room. Also catalogued online (click on the "contains" icon below). Family trees for the Taylor, Haughton, Brissett and Hibbert families are available with the handlist. A pdf version of the handlist is attached to this description. Related files http://archives.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/resources/ICS120.pdf The Taylor papers are also available on microfilm, reference M965. Level of descriptionfonds Hierarchy browser contains 20 parts Taylor family papers ICS120 \| 1760-1835 [predominantly 1770-1819] fonds

TitleTaylor family papers

Held atInstitute of Commonwealth Studies

Reference codeICS120

Date1760-1835 [predominantly 1770-1819]

Creator
- Taylor family (fl 1740-1853) plantation owners in JamaicaMore Info on CreatorLess Info on Creator
  The Taylor dynasty in Jamaica was begun by Patrick Taylor (formerly Tailzour) who came out to Jamaica from Scotland and established himself as a merchant in Kingston. Simon Taylor (1740-1813) , Patrick and his wife Martha's eldest son, became successful as the owner of several sugar plantations and was said to the be richest man on the island at the time of his death. Simon Taylor had no legitimate children, but kept in regular contact with the children of his brother Sir John Taylor and sister Anne Graham, exerting a strong influence over the family. Other, more distant relatives also became close business associates. On Simon Taylor's death, his estates passed first to his nephew, Sir Simon Richard Brissett Taylor (1785-1815) and subsequently to his niece Mrs Anna Susannah Watson Taylor (1781-1853).

Scope and ContentMainly comprising letters written and received between 1770 and 1835 by Simon Taylor, his family and heirs, and his friends, agents and business partners. About a quarter of the letters are contained in Simon Taylor's letterbooks. Though the majority of the correspondence consists of letters either to or from Simon Taylor up to his death in 1813, there is also correspondence between other family members, notably his brother Sir John Taylor, his sister-in-law Elizabeth Haughton Taylor, Sir John and Lady Taylor's son (and Simon Taylor's heir) Sir Simon Richard Brissett Taylor, and Simon Taylor's second cousin and business partner Robert Taylor. The subject matter ranges from the domestic (illness, family quarrels, disinheritance, bigamy) to business (slaves, sugar, trade and shipping, the effects of hurricanes, the introduction of a steam engine on an estate), to politics (the Maroon and French wars, the anti-slavery movement and abolition of the slave trade). The collection also includes detailed reports on the estates made for Anna Susannah Watson Taylor in 1835.

Conditions governing accessAt least 24 hours notice before a research visit. Access to this collection is unrestricted for the purpose of private study and personal research within the supervised environment and restrictions of the library.

Extent12 letterbooks and approximately 1,400 letters

Physical descriptionMS (excepting photocopied surrogates)

System of ArrangementBy correspondent and by date

Finding aidsHandlist and index of principal correspondents available in the Special Collections reading room. Also catalogued online (click on the "contains" icon below). Family trees for the Taylor, Haughton, Brissett and Hibbert families are available with the handlist. A pdf version of the handlist is attached to this description.

Related files

http://archives.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/resources/ICS120.pdf

The Taylor papers are also available on microfilm, reference M965.

Level of descriptionfonds

Item request date
Expected return date
Destination