INTRODUCTION
Policarpus Taylor,
born between 1711 and 1714, England, first
married Elizabeth. They had two
daughters christened at Saint Martin In The
Fields, Westminster, London, England, named Susannah,
born ca. 1738 and Mary, born ca.
1740.
Two more children were born,
probably to second wife, Alice Gregory, in
Norton, Durham, England. They were Sarah
Taylor, c. 1752, and Pollycarpus
William Taylor, c. 1753.
Wife Elizabeth, died sometime
before 1753. Policarpus secondly married Alice
Gregory, on 13 December 1753, at Saint
George Mayfair, Westminster, London, England.
Policarpus Taylor spent nearly 35
years in the Navy, before retiring in Norton,
Durham, England, in 1762. Mr. Taylor wrote his
will 19th April 1780. His executors, the Reverend
Robert Poole Finch, D. D., and his son Thomas
Finch, Esquire,
presented the will to London court on 4th
February 1781. The third executor Richard
Allnutt, Esquire, was not present.
Policarpus was named after a 17th
century Austrian Count named Polykarp
William von Kuenberg of Salzburg. Heinrich
Ignaz Franz Biber composed "Sonata
Sancti Polycarpi a 9"
in 1673 for the election of Polykarp von
Kuenberg, as a prior of Salzburg
Cathedral. The sonata was scored for eight
trumpets and was played on January 26th.
Eventually this date became known as "The
Day of the Trumpet Player."
The parents choice of the name
Polycarpus for their son could be as simple as
the fact that he was either born or christened on
January 26th, Saint Polycarp's day. This
4th century Saint was martyred in Alexandria
during the reign of the Roman Emperor Maximilian,
ruler of Syria and Egypt, known for his fierce
struggle against Christians.
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