William Taylor (died 1852) was a Preston

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

manufacturer who was an important figure in the life of the city in the mid-nineteenth century. Taylor was a former apprentice to the cotton manufacturer John Horrocks in Preston and rose to be spinning manager at Horrock's Moss Mill.''The Victorians: A Life in the Factory''.
South Ribble Museum & Exhibition Centre, Leyland, 2009. p. 14. The building now used as The Guild public house, was built as Taylor's home at that time. He later went into business on his own account and owned the

Tulketh Mill Tulketh Mill is an Edwardian former Cotton mill, cotton-spinning mill in Balcarres Road, Tulketh, Preston, Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire, England. It was designed by Fred Dixon (architect), Fred Dixon of Oldham and built for the Tulketh Spinnin ...

. He opposed the reduction of working hours and restrictions in child labour in the mills, saying, "The condition of the people would not be improved by working shorter hours… Employing young people aids the parents".

References

1852 deaths Businesspeople from Preston, Lancashire Businesspeople in manufacturing Tulketh {{UK-business-bio-stub