William Taylor (d. 1724; fl. 1700–1723)
William Taylor, bookseller, 1700–1723; at the Ship in St. Paul's Churchyard, 1700–1711; at the Ship in Paternoster Row, 1711–1723.
Apprenticed to John Taylor 6 June 1698
Freed 14 March 1706
Clothed 5 July 1708
William and his wife Elizabeth had two children, William born 2 October 1717 and baptized the same day; and Sarah, born 31 March and baptized 2 April 1719 (Registers of the parish of St. Faith's). William Taylor's will, dated 1 May 1724, was proved on the 7th. In it he left his lands, tenements, and hereditaments, as well as those left to him by his father Phillip Taylor and brother Phillip. As for his personal estate, he bequeathed to his wife ⅓ plus ⅙ share; to son William ⅓ and to daughter Sarah ⅙. Fellow Stationers John Osborne and William Innys were named executors (National Archives, PROB 11/597/170).
On Thursday last Mr. lnnys, an eminent Bookseller, in St. Paul's Church-yard, was marry'd to the Relict of Mr. Taylor, late of Pater-noster Row, worth 30,000l.—London Journal), 16 January 1725
A Dictionary of the Printers and Booksellers who were at work in England, Scotland and Ireland from 1726 to 1775, by Henry Plomer et al. (1932)
TAYLOR (WILLIAM), bookseller in London, (1) Ship in St. Paul's Churchyard; (2) Ship in Paternoster Row. 1700–23. Son [sic. he was a nephew] of John Taylor. Joined his father in the business in St. Paul's Churchyard about 1700. Made his first entry in the Term Catalogue in 1710. He moved to the Ship in Paternoster Row in 1711, and afterwards took the adjoining premises. He is best remembered as the publisher in 1719 of Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, by which he is said to have cleared £1,000. He died in 1723, and appointed as one of his executors John Osborne; the latter induced his son-in-law Thomas Longman (q.v.) to purchase the business, which is still flourishing, and still uses the device of the Ship.
Notes & Queries "London Booksellers Series" (1931–2)
TAYLOR, WILLIAM. First entered business with his father [sic. his uncle], John Taylor (above) 1700. In 1710 he set up a shop of his own in Paternoster Row, and adopted his father's [sic.] sign of the Ship. From 1715 to his death in 1723, together with Jacob Tonson and Bernard Linton, he enjoyed the privilege of the monopoly for the printing of votes. His most famous publication was 'Robinson Crusoe,' a work from which he made a fortune. On his death the business was bought by Thomas Longman, and was thus the foundation of the present firm of Longmans, Green and Co.
—Frederick T. Wood, 17 October 1931
TAYLOR, WILLIAM. For about five years he and his father [sic.], John Taylor, overlapped. William Taylor's first individual entry in Arber's 'Term Catalogues' is in 1707 at the Ship in St. Paul's Churchyard where his father [sic.] was still publishing. Arber records no entry of William Taylor from the Ship in Paternoster Row until 1711. In 1719 William Taylor acquired the lease of the Black Swan, next door, from the famous bookseller Awnsham Churchill ('House of Longman'). It was in this year also that Taylor published 'Robinson Crusoe.' In 1720 and 1721 we find his imprints read "at the Ship and Black Swan in Pater-noster Row." His death was announced in the Weekly Journal 16 May, 1724 and the stock of William Taylor deceased was sold by auction 3 Feb., 1725.
—Ambrose Heal, 5 December 1931