1840. In addition to the ‘Last Judgment’ he translated Spohr's ‘Crucifixion,’ or ‘Calvary’ (1836), ‘Fall of Babylon’ (1842), and ‘Christian's Prayer,’ all of which were produced at Norwich festivals. On 24 Oct. 1837, on the death of Richard John Samuel Stevens [q. v.], Taylor was appointed Gresham professor of music, a post which he held till his death. In January 1838 Taylor gave his first three lectures, which were published in the same year. He gave frequent lectures with great success in different parts of the country, and one on ‘Madrigals’ which he delivered at Bristol in 1837 resulted in the formation of the Bristol Madrigal Society, which still flourishes. From 1829 to 1843 he was musical critic of the ‘Spectator.’ He died at his house, Gresham Cottage, Cornlands Road, Brentwood, Essex, on 12 March 1863, and was buried in the old dissenting burial-ground, King's Road, Brentwood.
In addition to the translations already mentioned, his works include a few songs, words of songs, and adaptations. He translated Schneider's ‘Deluge,’ Mozart's ‘Requiem Mass’ under the title of ‘Redemption’ (1845), and Haydn's ‘Seasons.’ ‘The Vocal School of Italy in the Sixteenth Century’ comprised a selection of madrigals and anthems by the best Italian masters, adapted to English words (1839). ‘The Cathedral Service, its Glory, its Decline, and its Designed Extinction,’ appeared (in two articles) anonymously in the ‘British and Foreign Review’ for 1844, and were republished (also anonymously) in 1845. In conjunction with James Turle [q. v.] he edited ‘The People's Music Book,’ and, for the Musical Antiquarian Society, Purcell's ‘King Arthur.’ The following manuscripts by him are in the library of the Royal College of Music: Lectures on music (several), written and delivered by Edward Taylor at Gresham College and elsewhere; ‘Musical Illustrations to several Courses of Lectures’ (24 vols. and separate parts), mostly in Taylor's autograph; and an ‘Ode for the opening of Gresham College’ (2 Nov. 1843), in score, written and composed by him.
[Thomas Damant Eaton's Musical Criticism and Biography, 1872, p. 210 (a reprint of two articles from the Norfolk News of 28 March and 4 April 1863); Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians; Catalogue of the Library of the Sacred Harmonic Society, 1872, and Supplement to the same, 1882 (the library is now the property of the Royal College of Music); Spohr's Autobiography (Engl. transl. ii. 215, 288); private information.]
TAYLOR, GEORGE LEDWELL (1788–1873), architect, was born on 31 March 1788, and was educated at Rawes's academy, Bromley. In 1804 his uncle, General George (afterwards first Lord) Harris [q. v.], introduced him to James Burton. This architect, being about to retire, transferred his pupil to Joseph Parkinson of Ely Place, then engaged in laying out the Portman estate. Taylor, while articled to Parkinson, superintended the building of Montagu and Bryanston Squares (1811) and the neighbouring streets. His fellow pupil was Edward Cresy (d. 1858), with whom he maintained an uninterrupted friendship for more than fifty years. In 1816 he took two journeys with Cresy, chiefly on foot, to study English architecture—the first in the south-western counties; the second, a tour of forty days, from York to Lincoln, Peterborough, Ely, &c. On 23 June 1817 he started with Cresy on a grand tour, at his mother's expense, which lasted two years. In 1817 they travelled through France, Switzerland, and Italy, spending the winter at Rome and Naples. On 1 May 1818 they left Naples for Bari and Corfu, and spent the summer in Greece, in company with John Sanders and William Purser. Their one discovery of importance was that of the remains of the famous Theban lion at Chaeronea on 3 June 1818 (Literary Gazette, 24 April 1824; G. L. Taylor, Autobiography, i. 109, 160). After a second winter spent at Rome Taylor returned to England on 12 May 1819. Of a journey of 7,200 miles, four thousand miles had been performed on foot. He now took an office with Cresy in Furnival's Inn. He lived at 52 Bedford Square, afterwards in Spring Gardens, till he built a house for himself at Lee, Kent. On 3 Feb. 1824 he was appointed surveyor of buildings to the naval department. In this capacity he superintended important works in the dockyards at Chatham, Woolwich, and Sheerness, and alterations in the Clarence victualling yard, Gosport. He built the Melville Hospital, Chatham (1827), and the Woolwich river wall (1831). He received some attention from William IV, and claims credit for inducing the king in 1830 to accept ‘Trafalgar Square’ instead of ‘King William the Fourth Square,’ the name originally proposed for the site. In 1837 a scheme for retrenchment at the admiralty involved Taylor's dismissal. He was obliged to take up general practice, and qualified as a district surveyor. In 1843–8 he laid out considerable portions of the bishop of London's estate, Westbourne Terrace (where he built a house for himself), Chester Place, and parts of Hyde Park Square and Gloucester Square. In 1849 he undertook the continuation of the North Kent railway from Stroud, through Chatham, and Canterbury to Dover, but the negotiation fell
