Correspondence of William Tayleur

Scope and Content

Collection of letters from William Tayleur to Theophilus Lindsey and others, most are addressed to Theophilus Lindsey

Administrative / Biographical History

William Tayleur was born in 1712 and was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church Oxford, where he obtained a BA in 1735. Between 1735 and 1736, he had a junior lectureship at Christ Church. His initial aspiration was to become a Church of England clergyman, but he developed doubts concerning church authority and the ecclesiastical hierarchy. Eventually he was to develop Unitarian views and was in regular correspondence with Theophilus Lindsey. Tayleur organised Unitarian worship in his own home, and as a man of substantial wealth was a generous benefactor to leading Unitarians including Lindsey and Joseph Priestley. He was married and had a son and a daughter with his wife Mary (nee Hill). He died in 1796.

Arrangement

The letters are arranged into two series:

  • Letters to Theophilus Lindsey
  • Other Letters

Bibliography

The Letters of Theophilus Lindsey (1747-1778) I. 1747-1788, ed. Grayson Ditchfield (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2007).

D.O. Thomas, 'Preface and Introduction to John Disney's Diary', Enlightenment and Dissent, 21 (2002).