Robert Wright Taylor (21 November 1859 – 19 March 1929) was a British solicitor.

Biography

Taylor was the only son of Robert Taylor (1815-1890) and Sarah Maw and grew up in

Stanbury Stanbury is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Haworth and Stanbury, in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. In 1931 the parish had a population of 453. The name Stanbury translates ...

, West Yorkshire. The Taylor family were on good social terms with the

Brontë family The Brontës () were a 19th century literary family, born in the village of Thornton, West Yorkshire, Thornton and later associated with the village of Haworth in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. The sisters, Charlotte Brontë, Charlott ...

, and

Branwell Brontë Patrick Branwell Brontë (, commonly ; 26 June 1817 – 24 September 1848) was an English painter and writer. He was the only son of the Brontë family, and brother of the writers Charlotte Brontë, Charlotte, Emily Brontë, Emily, and Anne Bro ...

had painted a portrait of Taylor's father as a young man. Taylor was educated at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

and worked as a solicitor. Taylor purchased Baysgarth House in

Barton-upon-Humber Barton-upon-Humber () or Barton is a town and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 11,066. It is situated on the south bank of the Humber Estuary at the southern end of the Humber Bridge. It is sou ...

in 1889 and lived there with his family. An entry in the school log for Stanbury Boarding School in

Haworth Haworth ( , , ) is a village in West Yorkshire, England, in the Pennines south-west of Keighley, 8 miles (13 km) north of Halifax, west of Bradford and east of Colne in Lancashire. The surrounding areas include Oakworth and Oxenhop ...

on 6 September 1912 records a visit by Taylor with his wife and two children. It records that Taylor had just purchased

Ponden Hall Ponden Hall is a farmhouse near Stanbury in West Yorkshire, England. It is famous for reputedly being the inspiration for Thrushcross Grange, the home of the Linton family, Edgar, Isabella, and Cathy, in Emily Brontë's novel ''Wuthering Heig ...

and that he gifted eight book prizes each year to the school. Robert Wright Taylor and his wife Clara Louisa are commemorated, along with their son George Robert Marmaduke Stanbury Taylor (who died at the

Battle of Ypres The Battle of Ypres was a series of engagements during the First World War, near the Belgian city of Ypres, between the German and the Allied armies (Belgian, French and British colonial forces). During the five engagements, casualties may have su ...

), by their daughter Clare Ermyntrude Magdalen Wight Ramsden on a plaque at Baysgarth House. Clare donated the house and its gardens to the public in July 1930. The opening ceremony was attended by more than 3000 people. Taylor was a Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Robert Wright 1859 births 1929 deaths Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London People from Barton-upon-Humber People from West Yorkshire British solicitors Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge