Robert Paris Taylor (c 1741–1792) was a British administrator and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

from 1768 to 1774. Taylor was the son of

Peter Taylor Peter Taylor may refer to: Arts * Peter Taylor (writer) (1917–1994), American author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction * Peter Taylor (film editor) (1922–1997), English film editor, winner of an Academy Award for Film Editing Politic ...

of Burcott, Somerset and his wife Jane Holt. Through his father's connections, he was appointed to a position in the paymaster's office and in 1759 became Deputy Paymaster in Germany. He returned with a large fortune. In 1765 Taylor was recommended as a candidate for

Ilchester Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. Originally a Roman town, and later a market town, Ilchester has a rich medieval history and was a notable settleme ...

because he could sustain the expense, but he did not get the seat. He was

High Sheriff of Somerset The office of High Sheriff of Somerset is an ancient shrievalty which has been in existence since the 11th century. Originally known as the "Sheriff of Somerset", the role was retitled on 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government ...

in 1765–6. At the 1768 general election he was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for

Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...

. He did not stand in

1774 Events January–March * January 21 – Mustafa III, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, dies and is succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid I. * January 27 ** An angry crowd in Boston, Massachusetts seizes, tars, and feathers British customs ...

. Taylor succeeded his father in 1777 but by then he appears to have been in serious financial difficulties. He was embroiled in litigation with the trustees of Lord Holland's estate over the accounts of the paymaster's office. He was imprisoned for debt in

Fleet prison Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the River Fleet. The prison was built in 1197, was rebuilt several times, and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846. History The prison was built in 1197 off what is now ...

where he passed the last twelve years of his life. He died 7 Aug. 1792.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Robert Paris 1740s births 1792 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1768–1774 High sheriffs of Somerset