TAYLOR, Sir HERBERT (1775–1839), lieutenant-general, second son of the Rev. Edward Taylor (1734–1798), of Bifrons, Kent, rector of Patricksbourne, by his wife, Margaret, daughter of Thomas Payler of Ileden, Kent, was born on 29 Sept. 1755 at Bifrons. A younger brother, Sir Brook Taylor (1776–1846), was in the diplomatic service, and acted as British minister successively at the courts of Hesse-Cassel, Wurtemberg, and Munich, and as ambassador at Berlin from 1828 to 1831; he was created G.C.H. in 1822, and was admitted to the privy council in 1828 (Gent. Mag. 1847, pt. i. p. 82).
During the wanderings of his family on the continent between 1780 and 1790 Herbert received private tuition, and became a good linguist. In Rome he made the acquaintance of Lord Camelford, by whom he was introduced to Lord Grenville, who gave him a place in the foreign office under Mr. (afterwards Sir) James Bland Burgess. Taylor’s knowledge of foreign languages made him very useful, and Lord Grenville occasionally employed him on confidential work at his own house. In December 1792 he accompanied Sir James Murray (afterwards Murray-Pulteney) [q. v.] on a special mission to the Prussian headquarters at Frankfort. After a few weeks Murray left Frankfort to take up his military duties as adjutant-general to the Duke of York’s army at Antwerp, and Taylor remained behind for a short time in charge of the mission. In April 1793, on Murray’s application, Taylor joined the army headquarters. Murray presented him to the Duke of York, to whom he became greatly attached. He was employed as Murray’s secretary, and was present as a volunteer at the action of St. Amand (8 May), the battle of Famars (23 May), and the sieges of Valenciennes and Dunkirk.
On 25 March 1794 Taylor was given a commission as cornet in the 2nd dragoon guards, and on 17 July following he was promoted to be lieutenant. Upon the return of Murray to England, Taylor remained with the Duke of York as assistant secretary. He generally joined his regiment when in the field, and was present at the actions of 17, 22, and 26 April, near Cateau; of 10 and 22 May, near Tournay, and at other operations of the campaign, including the retreat into Holland. On 6 May 1795 he was promoted to be captain in the 2nd dragoon guards. On the return of the Duke of York to England, Taylor remained with the army as assistant secretary to the commander-in-chief of the British forces on the continent, and served in that capacity successively with Lieutenant-general Harcourt and Sir David Dundas.
On 16 Sept. 1795 Taylor returned to England, having been appointed on 1 Aug. of that year aide-de-camp to the commander-in-chief, the Duke of York. He was soon afterwards nominated assistant military secretary in the commander-in-chief’s office.
In July 1798 Taylor accompanied Lord Cornwallis to Ireland on his appointment as lord-lieutenant, in the threefold capacity of aide-de-camp, military secretary, and private secretary. He returned to England in February 1799 to take over the duties of private secretary to the Duke of York. He went to Holland as aide-de-camp to the duke in the expedition to the Helder in September, and was present at the battles of 19 Sept. and of 2 and 6 Oct.
On 22 Jan. 1801 Taylor was promoted to be major in the 2nd dragoon guards, and on 26 Dec. of the same year to be lieutenant-colonel in the 9th West India regiment. On 25 June 1802 he was placed on half-pay, and on 25 May was brought into the Coldstream guards, of which the Duke of York was colonel. He continued in the appointment of private secretary and aide-de-camp to the Duke of York until 13 June 1805, when he was appointed private secretary to the king. The king placed every confidence in him, so that his position was one of great delicacy, but his straightforwardness secured the good opinion of all. On the establishment of the regency he was continued in the same office to the queen, who was appointed by act of parliament guardian of the king’s person. By the same act Taylor was appointed one of the three commissioners of the king’s real and personal estate. He was promoted to be brevet colonel on 25 July 1810, and to be major-general on 4 June 1813.
In November 1813 he was appointed to command a brigade in the army of Sir Thomas Graham (afterwards Lord Lynedoch) [q. v.], which was besieging Antwerp. He returned to England in March 1814, when he was sent on special military missions to Bernadotte, crown prince of Sweden, then commanding the Swedish force in Germany, and to The Hague. During these absences from the court his place was taken by his brother (afterwards Sir) Brook Taylor. He resumed the duties of private secretary to Queen Charlotte on his return, and continued in this office until her death in November 1818. In 1819 he was made a knight of the royal Guelphic order. From 1820 to 1823 he represented Windsor in parliament, resigning his seat because he found he could
