Matthew Taylor (Leeds 2 February 1837– Arthington 9 July 1889) (fl. 1861–1889) was a sculptor based in Leeds and Arthington, West Yorkshire, England. He was apprenticed to Catherine Mawer, and was known in his day for bust, medallion and relief portraits, and statues. He exhibited some of these in Leeds Art Gallery during the last decade of his life. Between 1861 and 1876 he worked in partnership with Benjamin Burstall (1835–1876); they executed the sculpture on the Town Hall at Bolton in Greater Manchester. After Taylor's death, in 1905 his work received further recognition when Reverend W.T. Adey praised his carving on William Taylor's gravestone at Woodhouse Cemetery, Leeds, and named it the "Angler's Tomb." That work is now a listed monument. Taylor was a member of the Mawer Group, which included the above-mentioned sculptors, plus Robert Mawer, Charles Mawer, Benjamin Payler and William Ingle.
Early life Matthew Taylor (Leeds 2 February 1837– Arthington 9 July 1889; fl. 1861–1889).Deaths Sep 1889 Taylor Matthew 52 Wharfedale 9a 97West Yorkshire, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1906. Name: Matthew Taylor Birth Date: 2 Feb 1837 Parish: Leeds, St Peter (Leeds Parish Church) Baptism Date: 26 Feb 1837 Father's name: William Taylor Mother's name: Hannah Taylor West Yorkshire Archive Service, Wakefield, Yorkshire, England; Yorkshire Parish Records; New Reference Number: RDP68/3A/10 His paternal grandfather was Matthew Taylor, a farmer, who married Elizabeth.Grewelthorpe: Taylor (family history) His father was William Taylor (Grewelthorpe c.1793 – Leeds 24 May 1873); Deaths Mar 1874 Taylor William 80 Leeds 9b 310 a joiner and carpenter who moved to Leeds as a young man and married there; he is buried at St George's Fields, Leeds. His mother was Hannah Fisher (Gildersome 1800 – Leeds 12 August 1883). Deaths Sep 1883 Taylor Hannah 81 Leeds 9b 262 Matthew was born in East Street, Leeds, and baptised at St Peter's, Leeds Parish Church, on 26 February 1837.Leeds Parish Church (now Leeds Minster) record of baptisms 1837, p.728. In West Yorkshire Archive, Wakefield: Yorkshire parish records, ref. RDP68/3A/10 The 1841 Census finds him, the fourth of five siblings, living with his parents at Queen's Place, Leeds.United Kingdom Census 1841 Leeds HO107/1348/1 p8 In 1851 the family was living at Back Claremont Place, Leeds; three children remain at home, and Matthew was still a scholar at age 14.United Kingdom Census 1851 Leeds HO107/2321 In 1861 the family was living at 12 Tolson Street, Leeds, and Matthew was still with his parents and two siblings; he was now a sculptor at age 24.United Kingdom Census 1861 RG09 piece 3393 folio 113 page 20
Apprenticeship
He was apprenticed to Catherine Mawer from about 1851, alongside Benjamin Paylor. In 1856 Catherine summonsed him to Court for disobeying orders, but her case was dismissed. During this hearing, when he was nineteen years old, the Leeds Intelligencer described him as "exceedingly clever at his business."Leeds Intelligencer, Tuesday 19 February 1856 p3 col3: Important decision respecting apprentice Assuming that he completed his apprenticeship at age 21, he could have been a top sculptor from 1858. It is not known whether he continued employment with Catherine Mawer during the next three years. From 1861 he ran his own business, carving busts and medallion portraits. and creating monumental sculpture. He was also possibly a monumental and architectural sculptor. On 27 September 1866 he married Elizabeth Keith (Bolton 1842 – North Leeds 3 November 1934), Deaths Dec 1934 Taylor Elizabeth 91 Leeds North 9b 427 Births Jun 1842 Keith Elizabeth Bolton XXI 184 the daughter of a paper maker. Benjamin Burstall was a witness to the marriage. Marriages Sep 1866 Taylor Matthew and Elizabeth Keith Leeds 9b 484 In the 1871 Census Matthew was living at 6 Hillary Street, Leeds, with his wife and his child Frances aged 2 years. Matthew and Elizabeth had five children, of whom the eldest was artist-sculptor Francis Bertram (1868–1950). Deaths Jun 1950 Taylor Francis B. 82 Leeds 2c 177 The others were George (1873 – South Africa 16 January 1896) a clerk-solicitor, Sydney (b.1876),He possibly died in 1914. Deaths Sep 1914 Taylor Sydney 38 Wharfedale 9a 153 Lucy (1879 – Arthington 18 June 1906) Deaths Jun 1906 Taylor Lucy 27 Wharfedale 9a 97 and Ellen (b.1883).United Kingdom Census 1891 RG12 piece 3526 folio 85 page 5
Career From around 1861 to 1876, he worked in partnership, as Burstall and Taylor, Sculptors, with Benjamin Burstall (1835–1876). Their function has been described as "marble masons and statuaries, sculptors." The partnership was based in Cookridge Street, Leeds, and ended when Burstall died of tuberculosis.Mapping the practice and profession of sculpture: Burstall and TaylorWhite's Directory and Topography of the Boroughs of Leeds and Bradford, 1861, p330; White's Directory of Leeds, Bradford, Etc., 1866, p198, McCorquodale & Co.'s Topographical and Commercial Directory of Leeds and Neighbourhood, 1876, p436
Taylor was the "gifted sculptor" of the 1870s angler's tomb in Woodhouse Cemetery.Leeds Mercury, Saturday 24 June 1905 p22 col4: Notes and Queries: An angler' tomb and the correction: Leeds Mercury, Saturday 01 July 1905 p22 col4: An angler's tomb In July 1880 he exhibited "excellent works" at The Yorkshire Art Exhibition.Leeds Mercury, Tuesday 06 July 1880 p8 col5: Yorkshire Art Exhibition Between 1871 and 1876 he was at 6 Hillary Street, Leeds, describing himself as a sculptor.United Kingdom Census 1871 Class: RG10; Piece: 4566; Folio: 49; Page: 14; GSU roll: 847143McCorquodale & Co.'s Topographical and Commercial Directory of Leeds and Neighbourhood, 1876 p436 In 1881 he was trading at 52 Cookridge Street, Leeds, describing himself as sculptor and stone carver.Kelly's Directory of Leeds and Neighbourhood, 1881 p429 Between 1881 and 1889 he was living at St Peter's Cottage, Arthington, in Wharfedale, where he died.United Kingdom Census 1881 Class: RG11; Piece: 4335; Folio: 105; Page: 17; GSU roll: 1342035 On 3 October 1888, at the opening of Leeds City Art Gallery, one of his sculptures was in the central museum court.Leeds Times, Saturday 29 September 1888 p8 col4: The Leeds Fine Art Gallery, a preliminary peep thereat In 1889 he exhibited multiple works at the Spring Exhibition at Leeds City Art Gallery.Catalogue of the Spring Exhibition, The City Art Gallery, Leeds (1889). Cat. No. Cases F, S, pp. 88, 90
Death He left £2,437 14s 5d at his death.England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966. Name: Matthew Taylor Probate Date: 1 Aug 1889 Death Date: 9 Jul 1889 Death Place: York, Yorkshire, England Registry: WakefieldMapping the practice and profession of sculpture: Matthew Taylor He is buried in Arthington churchyard.
Works by Burstall and Taylor
Known works of general architectural sculpture by Burstall and Taylor are: St Stephen's Church, Kirkstall, 1864 (Renovation 1864) St Mary, Hunslet, 1864 (Built 1864) St Oswald, Fulford, 1866 (Built 1866) Grand Hotel (Scarborough) (Built 1863–1867)Yorkshire Evening Post, p6 col7, 24 September 1935: A Leeds sculptor Christchurch Congregational Church, Ilkley, 1868 (Built 1868) Bolton Town Hall, 1870 (Main staircase and portico, lions either side of the stairs, general sculpture within and without building) Sandal Parish Church, Wakefield, 1873 (Renovation 1873)
Works by Matthew Taylor Taylor exhibited a number of works at Leeds Art Gallery, but as of 2017 its collection no longer contained any of his works.Leeds Art Gallery collection search, September 2017 In support of his work, he took an interest in the local fauna; an example of a plaster cast of fishes is listed below. He contributed some finds to the scientific department of the Mechanics' Institute at Pateley Bridge: for example a hummingbird hawk-moth caught at his home village of Arthington on 31 July 1883.Knaresborough Post, Saturday 11 August 1883 p4 col6: Naturalists' notes He also contributed to Leeds Naturalists' Club a live noctule bat which he caught while fishing near Arthington on 28 May 1883.Knaresborough Post - Saturday 09 June 1883 p5 col6: Leeds Naturalists' Club
Former Queen's Hotel, Leeds, 1863
This hotel preceded the present Queens Hotel, Leeds. The West Midland Railway Company decided to build the hotel at a meeting on 16 August 1859, and in 1861 it was authorised by the Midland Railway Act of Parliament. It was designed by Perkin & Backhouse, built by W. Nicholson & Son, and was "of a very ornate character, in the Italian style of architecture." In 1867 and 1898, new wings were added, designed by C.T. Trubshaw.Yorkshire Evening Post, 13 May 2014: Remembering Leeds railway hotel that was just the ticket, by Peter Tuffrey The hotel opened on 10 January 1863.Yorkshire Gazette, Saturday 03 January 1863: The Queen's Hotel
The old Queen's Hotel included "carvings of a railway engine puffing out of a tunnel (near the main entrance), a fiddle, bottle of wine, game, fruit etc. There were also ram's heads, festoons of ivy leaves, and "some beautiful carvings of human heads with tolerably pleasant countenances."Yorkshire Evening Post, 17 October 1933, p6 col7: Have you noticed?
"This decorative work was executed by a Leeds sculptor Matthew Taylor ... He has a son and granddaughter still living in Leeds." "On one occasion a lecturer on art took members of a club to see this carving. They were scanning the walls of the Queen's with field glasses, so the story goes, and attracted attention sufficient to draw a crowd. The crowd grew to large proportions and the traffic was impeded. The police arrived and dispersed the crowd - and, the story continues, dispersed the members of the club before they had properly scrutinised the carving." This carving included grapes and a bottle, a violin, partridges, pheasants and pears. By 1935 the carvings were "blackened by age, and pass unnoticed unless they are closely sought. An old employee at the Queen's says he has often been asked to show visitors the railway engine coming out of the tunnel. There are bearded faces also peering down from the walls." Demolition man Mr Edwin Airey ... said ... "If anything of real value is found during the demolition, we shall doubtless do our best to preserve it; but it is often difficult to remove stone carvings intact during a demolition of this kind." The Queen's Hotel was demolished in September 1935.Yorkshire Evening Post, Thursday 12 September 1935, p3, col6: Carvings which few people notice, interesting adornments of Leeds hotel now being demolished
Portrait bust of the Artist's Father, before 1873 This bust of William Taylor (1793–1873) was exhibited at the Yorkshire Fine Art Society's First Spring Exhibition, in Leeds, on 1 June 1880.Catalogue of the First Spring Exhibition (1880) p64 (733)Mapping the practice and profession of sculpture: Portrait of the artist's father - bust, by Matthew Taylor
Gravestone of William Taylor, or "Angler's Tomb", after May 1873