User:WillThePotato/sandbox/William Taylor (shipwright)

William Taylor
William Taylor
Baptised	March 13, 1774
Nationality	English
Occupation	Shipwright
Known for	Building HMS Tees, HMS Carnation, HMS Comet, and HMS Fairy
Spouse	Christian Nicholas (m. 1801)
Children	Mary Gillespie; John Nichols Taylor; Catharine Taylor; Hannah Maria; William Taylor;
Parents	William Taylor; Susanna Witheridge;

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William Taylor (c. 1774 - date of death unknown) was an English shipbuilder who built 50 vessels over the course of his career in East-the-Water, including 6 for the Admirality. It is unknown as to what happened to him past 1830, although it is believed that he retired to Bristol.

Early life

William Taylor was born circa 1774 in Littleham to William Taylor, a laborer, and Susanna Witheridge, a spinster, both Anglican, after their marriage on the 19th of April, 1767. He was baptized on the 13th of March, 1774, however his date of birth is unknown.

Marriage and family

On the 27th of November, 1801, Taylor, of the parish of Bideford, married Christian Nicholas, who resided within the parish of St. Kerrian in Exeter, by license, at St. Petrock's Church. It was reportedly witnessed by Elizabeth Nichols, Thomas Nicholas [sic] and William Nichols.

The couple's four children, John Nichols, Catharine, Hannah Maria, and William, were baptized in Bideford on the 1st of January, 1803, the 10th of December, 1806, the 25th of July, 1808, and the 31st of August, 1810, respectively.

In 1826, daughter Mary married Captain Gillespie of the ship Cosmo, in Bristol. It is likely to have been the same ship of that name that was built by Taylor in 1825, which Captain Gillespie commanded until at least the 7th of April, 1930. On the 24th of February, 1828, the marriage of John Mollard to Maria Taylor, William Taylor's daughter, was recorded by the parish registers of Bideford in the presence of William and Catherine Taylor after Mollard courted her during the construction of the Saltern's Rock. As their dowry, Taylor gave his daughter a half-share of the vessel.^[1]

Career

William Taylor's shipyard was located near Crosspark Rock, either adjacent to, or preceding the pottery located there.^[2]

According to Trewman's Exeter Flying Post of November 16th, 1809, the ship-building business of Bideford under the firm of Wheaton and Taylor, had expired and been dissolved on the 25th of September, 1809. From that point on, the business was to be continued solely by William Taylor. As a result of the uncertainties regarding the beginning of this partnership, it is possible that some vessels prior to that date that were attributed to William Taylor may have actually been built by Wheaton and Taylor.

From 1807-1817, William Taylor is said to have built 50 ships at his East-the-Water shipyard. As only 49 have been identified in the chronological list below, it can be concluded that one ship has been totally unidentified.

Gun count, weight, and name of vessels constructed by William Taylor
Vessel	Type	Weight (tons)	Year of construction
Pillhead	Brigantine	117	1805
Miners	Brigantine	84	1806
Underhill	Brigantine	84	1807
HMS Comet	Fire-ship	444	1807
HMS Carnation^{[note 1]}	Brig-sloop	383	1807
Traveller	Schooner	102	1809
Marys	Brigantine	106	1811
Kangaroo	Brig	210	1812
HMS Fairy	Brig-sloop	386	1812
Fame	Schooner	130	1812
Venus	Sloop	58	1813
HMS Mastiff	Brigantine	184	1813
Belzebub	Bomb vessel	334	1813
Pacific	Brigantine	135	1814
Aurora	Brigantine	154	1814
Elizabeth	Schooner	116	1814
Enterprise	Schooner	125	1814
Falmouth	Sloop		1815
Dove	Schooner	84	1815
Jane	Brig	168	1815
Unidentified vessel		82	1815
HMS Tees^{[note 2]}	Ship	452	1817 (refitted)
Rover	Brigantine	101	1818
Venus	Sloop	53	1819
Hazard	Brigantine	53	1820
Margaret	Sloop	54	1820
Swiss	Sloop	34	1820
Two Brothers	Schooner	87	1821
Perseverance	Sloop	49	1822
Francess Ann	Schooner	101	1822
Rising Sun	Sloop	39	1823
Fly	Yawl	60	1824
Friends	Brig	122	1824
Rocket	Brig	212	1825
James Lyon	Ketch	137	1825
Cosmo	Ship	409	1826
Salus	Brig	169	1826
Three Sisters	Brig	88	1826
William & Elizabeth	Brig	79	1827
Drake	Smack	150	1827
Gurnet	Brig	15	1827
Saltern's Rock	Brig	142	1827
Swallow	Brig	148 or 200	1828
Brothers	Schooner-brig	84	1828
James & Louisa	Sloop	17	1829
Shepherdess	Brig	127	1830
Little Cosmo	Schooner	57	1830
Mary Jane	Barque	249	1831
Pilot	Sloop-of-war	29	1831
Unidentified vessel

Notes

^ The HMS Carnation was captured by the French exactly one year later in 1808.
^ Considered to be the most impressive ship built by William Taylor, the HMS Tees was used as the permanently-moored "Mariners' Church" in St. George's Dock, Liverpool, from 1827-1872.

References

^ Kirby, R. I.; Kirby, S. H. (May 29th, 2018). "Ship and Boat Building in East-the-Water" (PDF). Way of the Wharves. p. 86. Retrieved December 29, 2020. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ "The Shipyards". Way of the Wharves. Retrieved 2020-12-29.

External links

[3] The HMS Carnation was captured by the French exactly one year later in 1808.

[4] Considered to be the most impressive ship built by William Taylor, the HMS Tees was used as the permanently-moored "Mariners' Church" in St. George's Dock, Liverpool, from 1827-1872.

[1] Kirby, R. I.; Kirby, S. H. (May 29th, 2018). "Ship and Boat Building in East-the-Water" (PDF). Way of the Wharves. p. 86. Retrieved December 29, 2020. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[2] "The Shipyards". Way of the Wharves. Retrieved 2020-12-29.

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