A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Taylor, William Norton
TAYLOR. (Commander, 1841. f-p., 28; h-p., 9.)
William Norton Taylor, born 24 Oct. 1798, at Flushing, near Falmouth, is son of the late Capt. Andrew Bracey Taylor, R.N.;[1] and nephew of the late Admiral Robt. Devereux Fancourt (1825), who commanded the Agamemnon 64 in the expedition against Copenhagen in 1801. His grandfather and great-grandfather were also in the service.
This officer (who had previously cruized in the North Sea in the Amaranthe 18, Capt. Edw. Pelham Brenton, and Havock gun-brig, and had witnessed in the former vessel the fall of Copenhagen in 1807) entered the Navy, 16 March, 1810, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Venus 32, Capt. Jas. Coutts Crawford. In her he served off the coasts of Spain and Portugal, and again in the North Sea, until the following Dec, when he removed with the same Captain to the Hussar 38. In the course of the ensuing month he joined the St. George 98; and in that ship, which bore the flag of Rear-Admiral Robt. Carthew Reynolds, he continued employed as Midshipman in the Baltic, occasionally in action with the Danish gun-boats, until within a few weeks of the dreadful gale which terminated the existence of nearly all on board. In Dec. 1811 he entered the Royal Naval College; and after studying for upwards of two years and four months at that institution, he again, 24 April, 1814, embarked on board the Bellerophon 74, in which ship, and the Salisbury 50, bearing each the flag of Sir Rich. Goodwin Keats, he served at Newfoundland until Dec. 1815. He then joined the Wye 28, Capt. John Harper, on the Halifax station, where he was transferred in succession, 15 Dec. 1818 and 6 Jan. 1822, to the Newcastle 50, flag-ship of Sir Edw. Griffith Colpoys, and Niemen 28, Capt. Edw. Reynolds Sibly, and was nominated, 13 Jan. 1823, Acting-Lieutenant of the Argus 18, Capts. Septimus Arabin and John Burnet Dundas. He was confirmed to the latter vessel 22 March following; was paid off from her in Nov. 1824; and was subsequently appointed – 18 June, 1825, to the Pyramus 42, Capts. Robt. Gambier and Geo. Rose Sartorius, with whom he served, the latter part of the time as First-Lieutenant, until Sept. 1828 – 18 June, 1830, In the capacity last mentioned, to the Talbot 28, Capt. Rich. Dickinson, fitting for the Cape station, whence he returned in May, 1834 – and, 13 May, 1840, as Senior, to the Rodney 92, Capt. Robt. Maunsell. While attached to the Pyramus Mr. Taylor shared in a variety of particular services, visited different parts of the globe, and commanded for some time the Lyra tender of 10 guns, in the river Tagus. On being paid off he was presented by Capt. Sartorius with a certificate, from which the following is an extract:– “Lieut. Taylor has displayed a knowledge of his profession, a zeal and activity most creditable to himself and beneficial to H.M. service, and I have a very sincere pleasure in giving this testimony to the character of a very meritorious young officer.” Notwithstanding this, and all that his Captain could do for him, he had the mortification to be passed over, while the Second and Fourth Lieutenants obtained promotion, and the Third was placed in a position to ensure it. On the occasion of the Talbot being put out of commission, Mr. Taylor received from Capt. Dickinson a letter glowing with expressions of the most animated friendship, accompanied by a snuff-box, intended as a “small mark of the esteem and regard” entertained for him by his Commander. In the Rodney we find him participating in the operations on the coast of Syria, and present at the blockade of Alexandria, where he was in attendance upon Commodore Napier and Capt. Maunsell at the conferences which terminated in the convention with Mehemet Ali. He was at length, on the birth of the Prince of Wales, promoted, 23 Nov. 1841, to the rank of Commander. His last appointment was to the Coast Guard, in which he served from 8 April, 1843, until April, 1848.
Commander Taylor married, 27 Oct. 1835, Charlotte, only child of Robt. Leeder, Esq., of Taxford, co. Suffolk, formerly of East Dereham, and of the Grove, Walsingham, co. Norfolk. By that lady he has issue two sons and two daughters.
- ↑ The following is the copy of a certificate hearing the signature of the late Admiral Sir Chas. Hen. Knowles, and lodged at the Admiralty, respecting the services of Capt A. B. Taylor, when a Lieutenant:– “These are to certify the Right Hon. Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that Lieut. Andrew Bracey Taylor commanded his Majesty’s gun-boat the Vanguard at Gibraltar, a vessel of 24 6-pounders and 2 12-pounders, advanced off the new mole-head to prevent the enemy’s gun and mortar boats from annoying the garrison and shipping, from 20 April, 1781, till sunk in the new mole, by order, prior to the grand attack; from which time he was Second-Lieutenant of the Brilliant, and encamped at Europa Point until 19 Oct. following. I then appointed him Second-Lieutenant of the San Miguel, until promoted to First-Lieutenant by Sir Roger Curtis, Kt., on 11 March, 1783; and I do further certify that he has behaved himself under my command as an attentive, active, diligent, gallant, good officer, and has ever acquitted himself with great credit during a long and dangerous service at Gibraltar. I therefore beg leave particularly to recommend him to your Lordships’ notice.” Capt. Taylor afterwards circumnavigated the globe with Portlock, Colnett, and others, in the capacity of hydrographer and historian. He died in the West Indies in 1800.