Profile: Charles Taylor (1856-1939)

🧭 Ancestor Profile: Charles Taylor (1856–1939)

Born in the heart of industrial Lancashire, Charles Taylor’s life journey spanned the Victorian era, two world wars, and the evolution of Britain’s maritime strength. His story is one of service, movement, and resilience—woven through census records, certificates, and naval assignments.

🧒 Early Life in Blackburn

Charles Taylor was born on 13 August 1856 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England^[1]. He was baptized just two weeks later on 27 August at the local Church of England parish^[2]. His parents, John Taylor (circa 1820–1861)^{[14][15][16][17]} and Jane Whittle (1823–1861)^{[3][18][19][20]}, both passed away when Charles was still a child, leaving him to navigate early life in a rapidly changing industrial town.

By 1861, Charles was living at 49 Forrest Street in Blackburn and attending school^[3]. A decade later, he had moved to Accrington, still a scholar, residing at 29 Canary Street^[4].

⚓ A Life at Sea

Charles’s maritime career began in earnest with his marriage to Eliza Aylward on 28 August 1877 in Portsea, Hampshire^[5]—a naval hub that likely influenced his path. In his marriage record he was recorded aboard H.M.S. Excellent, working as a seaman^[5].

Over the next decades, Charles rose through the ranks:

• 1881: Leading Seaman aboard H.M.S. Boadicea^[6]
• 1891: Seaman and Coast Guard in Tynemouth, Northumberland^[7]
• 1901: Chief Boatman, Coast Guard in Cromer, Norfolk^[8]
• 1911: Chief Officer, Coast Guard in Barton Under Humber, Lincolnshire^[9]
• 1921: Retired Coast Guard Officer in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire^[10]

His postings reflect the strategic coastal locations vital to Britain’s naval defense, and his steady advancement suggests a respected career.

🏡 Family and Residences

Charles and Eliza had at least two children:

• Elizabeth J. Taylor (born circa 1879)^[7][24]
• Frederick Charles Taylor (born circa 1886)^[9]

The family moved frequently, following Charles’s assignments:

• Tynemouth (1891)^[7]
• Cromer (1901)^[8]
• North Somercotes (1907)^[12]
• Barton Under Humber (1911)^[9]
• Cleethorpes (1921–1939)^[10][11]

Eliza passed away on 3 August 1907 in Louth, Lincolnshire and was buried in North Somercotes Cemetery^[12][13].

🕊 Final Years

Charles spent his final years in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, residing at Twining Place. He died on 3 January 1939 of bronchio pneumonia^[11], closing a chapter that had begun in the smoky mills of Blackburn and ended on the quiet coast of Lincolnshire.

📚 Source Citations

1. Birth certificate, 13 Aug 1856 – GRO, Blackburn
2. Baptism record – Blackburn Church of England
3. 1861 England census – Blackburn
4. 1871 England census – Accrington
5. Marriage certificate – Portsea, Hampshire
6. 1881 England census – Royal Navy
7. 1891 England census – Tynemouth
8. 1901 England census – Cromer
9. 1911 England census – Barton Under Humber
10. 1921 England census – Cleethorpes
11. Death certificate – 3 Jan 1939, Cleethorpes
12. Death certificate – Eliza Taylor, 3 Aug 1907
13. North Somercotes Cemetery record
14. Baptism record – John Taylor
15. 1851 England census – Blackburn
16. Death certificate – John Taylor, 1861
17. Deceased Online – John Taylor
18. Baptism record – Jane Whittle
19. Birth certificate – Jane Whittle
20. 1841 England census – Blackburn
21. Birth certificate – Eliza Aylward
22. 1861 England census – Portsea Island
23. 1871 England census – Portsea Island
24. 1881 England census – Portsea Island

X00390 Charles Taylor after 1861 - Solved!

Continuing my search for Charles Taylor and his death information (X00390), I was hoping that I would encounter the same luck that I had in tracking down his wife, Eliza Aylward.

First, I did manage to find Charles Taylor in the 1921 census

It's definitely the right one, because the birth information and location (Blackburn) matches, plus his profession is listed as a retired Coast Guard officer. At the time of the 1921 census, he's living in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England.

The only other census-like record for England after 1921 is the 1939 register, so I had a look for him there. I was not able to find a Charles Taylor that matched, suggesting that he probably died before 1939

So, it would seem that he likely died somewhere between 1921 and 1939, which is a pretty wide range; his name is fairly common and he moved around a lot, so this seemed like an impossible task.

But then I thought, if he was retired in 1921, perhaps he stopped moving around and settled in Cleethorpes. So I looked for death records for a Charles Taylor between 1921 and 1939 in Cleethorpes. And sure enough I was able to find a record for a death in 1939:

Not only does the name and age match, but the profession listed is retired Chief Officer, Coast Guard. As well, the informant is F.C. Taylor, a name that matches one of his known sons.

So, I am happy to conclude that I have found the correct death record and death information for Charles Taylor.

X00390 Charles Taylor after 1861 - Part 2

As I continue to try to find out more about Charles Taylor after 1861, I have been checking the hints on Ancestry and there is one death record for a Charles Taylor in 1934 that shows up. A number of other researchers have put his year of death as 1934, likely because of this record. So I decided to go and get it.

The name and age match, but that's about it. The profession is different from any other profession that I've seen in other records and the name of the informant as his son doesn't match any of his sons in other records. The location of the death is Blackburn, but Charles doesn't seem to have much of a connection to Blackburn other than having spent his younger years living there. So, this does not appear to be the right death record.

Unfortunately finding a death record is going to be a challenge. Charles Taylor is a commmon name, and he moved around a lot, so there's not much to go on there. I don't have a year of death either, other than that he appears in the 1911 census, so the death would have been after 1911. The only hope is that a death record would have some clear identifying information on it, such as a profession or an informant name. In this case, however, this would mean buying a large number of death certificates in the hopes of finding a key identifying piece of information in one of them.

Instead, I turned my attention to his wife, Eliza Aylward Taylor. She appears in the 1901 census, but Charles is listed as a widower in the 1911 census, so she must have died between 1901 and 1911. And like Charles Taylor, finding any definite death information for someone with a common name like Eliza Taylor, who moved around a lot with no definite death year is a challenge. But I managed to get lucky.

Find a Grave has a memorial for an Eliza Taylor who died on 3 August 1907 and is buried in Lincolnshire, England. The year of birth is 1859, which matches. But the gravestone says on it "Eliza, the beloved wife of Charles Taylor, R.N. Chief Officer, Royal Coast Guard". So I have at least managed to find her death information.

X00390 Charles Taylor after 1861 - Part 1

I'm trying to sort out the children of John Taylor and Jane Whittle and what happened to the family after 1861 when both John and Jane died. I have been able to piece together most of the family, except for a couple of them: John Taylor (to be discussed later) and Chalres Taylor (X00390)

Charles Taylor was born 13 August 1856 in Blackburn, Lancashire. I have found him in the 1861 census living with the rest of the family and attending school. But beyond that it gets a little sketchy. Both of his parents died in 1861 when he was five years old. As well, Charles Taylor is a very common name, particularly in Blackburn.

I checkd on Ancestry for suggestions. An 1871 census record for Accrington, Lancashire has a Charles Taylor of the right age listed as an orphan, which does fit:

A number of other later census records mention a member of the Navy living in various different locations, but the name, year and location of birth all match. Could it be that Charles Taylor was orphaned at age five and ended up joining the Navy at a young age? It certainly would fit and would explain why he moved around from place to place.

The key clue that I found was in a marriage record between a Charles Taylor and an Eliza Aylward in Portsea, Hampshire in 1877. At first, Portsea did seem out of place, but it does make sense if he was in the Navy and moved around a lot. So, I ordered a copy of it:

The name and age match, and the profession is listed as a seaman, which would coincide with the later records of a Charles Taylor in the Navy born in Blackburn. And, his father is listed as a John Taylor an iron foundry worker, which also matches.

And so, it looks as if I have found the right Charles Taylor and with that I can continue to piece together his life after 1861.

X00364 Maggie Doritty Timeline - Solved!

A number of years ago, when I was searching for records with the Doritty surname, I came across this gravestone record for a Margaret Doritty Taylor (1867-1936):

The location is St. Mark's Cemetery in Niagara and since the Doritty family lived in Niagara and a few of them are buried in St. Mark's cemetery, I figured that it is very likely that she is connected. But I was not able to find a record between a Margaret Doritty and a Charles Taylor.

I had a look at the Doritty names in my tree and and the only potential candidate was a Maggie Doritty born about 1868, Daughter of James Doritty and Mary Grace Gouland. But I had her marrying an Arthur J. Peppiatt in 1888, so I wasn't sure if this was the same one or not.

I found Dr. Charles Taylor and Maggie Taylor in the 1931 and 1921 Canadian Censuses, living in Toronto and him working as a physician. I did eventually manage to come across this news item from 1936:

Which not only links her to Dr. Charles J. Taylor, but also to the rest of the Doritty family. So it's definitely the same one. So, that mystery is solved although I still don't know what happened to Arthur J. Peppiatt or when Maggie Doritty married Dr. Charles J. Taylor. I found a border crossing record from 1918 where she is listed as Maggie Peppiatt, and she appears to be married to Charles Taylor in the 1921 census, so it was between 1918 and 1921 when she remarried. But that is a mystery for another day.