Joseph Taylor (c. 1679–1759), of

Stanmore Stanmore is part of the London Borough of Harrow in London. It is centred northwest of Charing Cross, lies on the outskirts of the London urban area and includes Stanmore Hill, one of the highest points of London, at high. The district, which ...

, Middlesex, was a British lawyer and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1727 to 1734. Taylor was probably a posthumous son of Joseph Taylor, merchant and draper of Queen Street, London and his second wife Hannah Rolt. He was admitted at

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...

in 1697 and at

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

, and was called to the bar in 1707. He became Clerk of

Bridewell and Bethlehem Hospitals The Bridewell and Bethlehem Hospitals were two charitable foundations that were independently put into the charge of the City of London. They were brought under joint administration in 1557. Bethlehem Hospital The Bethlem Royal Hospital was foun ...

in 1707. He acted as counsel to

Lord Oxford Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, first created for Aubrey de Vere by the Empress Matilda in 1141. His family was to hold the title for more than five and a half centuries, until the death of the 20th Earl in 1703. ...

during his impeachment in 1715. Taylor was legal adviser and executor to Edward Gibbon, the grandfather of

Edward Gibbon Edward Gibbon (; 8 May 173716 January 1794) was an English historian, writer, and member of parliament. His most important work, ''The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788, is k ...

the historian, and stood unsuccessfully for Parliament at Petersfield at the 1722 general election on the interest of the elder Gibbon. He was returned as Tory

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Petersfield at a by-election on 28 January 1727, but was unseated on petition on 9 May 1727. He was then returned unopposed at the 1727 general election, and voted regularly against the Government. On 23 February 1733 he spoke against Walpole's motion to issue £500,000 out of the sinking fund towards the supply for the coming year. Gibbon's son

Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

took over the seat at Petersfield for himself at the 1734 general election and Taylor did not stand again.

Lord Chesterfield Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, (22 September 169424 March 1773) was a British statesman, diplomat, and man of letters, and an acclaimed wit of his time. Early life He was born in London to Philip Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Ches ...

consulted Taylor regarding a legacy of £50,000 left to his wife Melusina von der Schulenberg by her reputed father, George I, which George II, had suppressed, and Taylor is said to have been successful on his behalf by threatening to bring the matter before the ecclesiastical court. Taylor died unmarried on 19 May 1759, aged about 80. One of his legatees was William Williamson, whom he described as ‘formerly my clerk and now at Carolina’ and who was said to be his illegitimate son. He left his estate to his ‘kinswoman, Mrs. Charlotte Williamson who lives with me’ who was probably Williamson's sister.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Joseph 1670s births 1759 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734