Ralph Taylor (1647 – 26 December 1722) was an English clergyman, nonjuror and sometime chaplain to the court of

James II James II may refer to: * James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade * James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier * James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily * James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...

at Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

Life

Son of Revd William Taylor and Judith Charlett of

South Littleton South Littleton is a village and civil parish located in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, England. South Littleton is located midway between Evesham and Bidford on Avon. South Littleton is the largest of The Littletons, with North an ...

. Educated Trinity College, Oxford, matriculated 22 March 1666 – 1667; BA 1670; MA 1673; BD 1682; DD 1686. Installed as rector of Grafton Flyford 1678, then in 1684 as rector of

Severn Stoke Severn Stoke is an English village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District, in the south of the county of Worcestershire, alongside the A38 trunk road. It had a population of 611 in 2011. History In 1996 a hoard of 18 silver Saxon pennie ...

. Some of the entries in the parish book of Severn Stoke written in Taylor's hand suggest that he had no great respect or honour for James II: Having previously sworn an oath of allegiance to James II of England, he refused to take the oath of allegiance to William and was deprived of the living. Taylor remained in Worcestershire with some contact with

George Hicks George Hicks may refer to: * George Hicks (trade unionist) (1879–1954), British trade unionist and politician * George Hicks (footballer) (1902–?), English footballer * George Elgar Hicks (1824–1914), English painter * George Hicks (RAF off ...

, nonjuring Dean of Worcester. By 1699, Taylor was chaplain to the court of

at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Little is known of his time there beyond that he attended the funeral of

Denis Granville Denis Granville (name altered from Grenville) (13 February 1637 – 18 April 1703) was an English non-juring cleric, Dean of Durham and then Jacobite exile. Life The youngest son of Sir Bevil Grenville, he was born 13 February 1637 and bapti ...

, that he owned one or more telescopes, and that he was given two gold sleeve buttons by James II. During this time, he felt the need to deny that he had converted to Roman Catholicism. In December 1712, he petitioned Queen Anne to be allowed to return from France. On return to England, Taylor took the side of the non-usager faction in the split of about 1717. Taylor was consecrated bishop at Gray's Inn, 25 January 1721, by the nonjuring non-usager bishops, Samuel Hawes,

Nathaniel Spinckes Nathaniel Spinckes (1653–1727) was an English nonjuring clergyman, a leader in the dispute among the nonjurors about the "usages" which split the "non-usagers", (those who advocated the retention of the ''Book of Common Prayer'' as it was), ag ...

and

Henry Gandy Henry Gandy (1649–1734) was an English non-juring bishop. Life The son of John Gandy of South Brent, Devon, he was born on 14 October 1649; his father was a priest of the Church of England who had been deprived of his living during the English ...

, in the presence of the Earl of Winchilsea, Robert Cotton, Revd Thomas Bell and John Blackbourne. He consecrated Richard Welton as bishop. Then Taylor and Welton consecrated John Talbot but the consecration was not recognised by other nonjurors as Welton had been consecrated by Taylor alone. Taylor died 26 December 1722 at his brother's house in South Littleton and interred at the church in South Littleton. A 1722 portrait by

John Verelst John Verelst, born and known also as Johannes or Jan (29 October 1648 – 7 March 1734), was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He was the youngest of three sons of the painter Pieter Hermansz Verelst; all became known as painters. He is known for his ...

engraved by George Vertue was published in 1723.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Ralp 1649 births 1722 deaths British nonjuror bishops