Anne Taylor (1846 – 1908)

Anne Taylor was born 26^th March 1846 in the Strand district of London. Her family lived at 22 Blackmore Street in the parish of St. Clement Danes. Her father, John Gent Taylor, was a master baker, providing a stable trade for the growing family. Anne was baptised on 31^st May 1846 at the Great Queen Street Chapel, a Wesleyan Methodist congregation, the same chapel as her children.

Growing up in the mid-19th century, Anne lived through a period of massive expansion in London. Her childhood home on Blackmore Street was just a short walk from the bustling markets and theatres of the West End. She was one of several children, though she experienced the early loss of her brother, Samuel, who died in 1856 when Anne was about 10 years old.

At age 20, Anne married William Wright on 3^rd October 1866 at the Parish Church of St. Clement Danes. William was a cheesemonger—a profession often referred to as a “provisions merchant” in later years. The couple initially remained in the St. Clement Danes area, where their first children were born..

Between 1867 and 1883, Anne gave birth to nine children:

• William Guy (1867)
• Lydia (1869)
• Thomas Beaumont (1870)
• John Samuel (1873)
• Frederick Arthur (1875)
• Henry Arnold (1877)
• George Herbert (1880)
• Isabella (1882)
• Anne (1883) – my great grandmother

The family’s movements track the expansion of the London suburbs. While their early life was centred in the crowded streets of Westminster, they moved north to Hornsey by 1883. This outward migration was common for successful Victorian tradesmen looking for more space and “fresher air” for their large families.

Full picture of Anne Taylor [shared with me by a Wright descendent cousin]. I wonder who the baby she is holding could be?

The turn of the century brought significant change. Ann and William moved to the St Clement Danes Alms Houses in Wandsworth, leaving their children to run the grocers in Stroud Green. These alms houses were established to provide housing for the elderly or “decayed” householders of the parish of St Clement Danes. In 1902, Anne’s husband William passed away in Wandsworth at the age of 65. By 1908, Anne had moved to North Finchley, Middlesex. She lived in a home named “Stanmore” on Woodside Park Road. Anne passed away on 9^th February 1908 at the age of 61. Her death record notes she succumbed to “cancer of the womb”. Her sister, Jane Stead (née Taylor), acted as the informant for her death, living nearby in Friern Park.