Roger Taylor
Mayor of Oxford 1563/4, 1569/70, and 1574/5
Roger Taylor (or Tailor/Taillor/Tayler//Tayller/Tailior/Taylour) (died 1578) was an Oxford grazier. In 1554 Anthony Wood records him as "Roger Taylour alias Cooke".
Taylor held Walton Farm, at least five houses in Oxford, a brew-house and land in the Greyfriars, and other properties in Kidlington and Maidenhead. He had to pay f £7 2s. 4d. towards the subsidy of 1543, and £5 0s. 10d. in 1544, when he described as living in the North East ward.
Taylor came on to the Common Council in October 1547. In June 1552 he was appointed with five others to oversee Port Meadow, and was elected Senior Chamberlain the following September and Junior Bailiff in September 1554. It was agreed at a council meeting held on 28 October 1554 that:
Roger Tayler shall ryde to London to pursue and sue forthe the partyculers for the londs to Mr. Camswell, that ys to wete, Lytlemore and Cassyngton, and to do further as my lord Wyllyams shall advyse hym for the pryce and assuraunce.
On 7 January 1558/9 Taylor was elected one of the two Members of Parliament for Oxford, and on 20 August 1560 one of the eight Mayor’s Assistants.
In 1561 the council minutes read:
The same day [4 September] Mr. Roger Tailler had leve to fetche earthe from Portmaneyte [Port Meadow] to mend his mounds of Crypley.
Taylor was elected Mayor for the first time in September 1563.
In April 1568 Taylor paid ten shillings for the lottery in the "suburbs". In September 1569, when he was elected Mayor a second time, he is described as "gent."
Taylor was elected Mayor a third time in September 1574. In 1575 William Noble addressed articles of complaint to the Privy Council against Taylor and three others
ffor that they have not donne their dewtyes to the Qwenes Maiesty, and to the comon welth, accordinge to the trust to them commytted by the Qwenes mats auctorytye of commyssion of her highnes peace.
The incidents in question took place in 1573/4, when various alleged felons were not punished.
On 31 July 1578 Taylor was made an Alderman. He died the following year.
See also:
- PCC Will PROB 11/62 (Will of Roger Tailior or Taylor of Saint Mary Magdalene Oxford, proved 26 February 1580)