Emily Taylor facts for kids

Emily Taylor (born 1795, died 1872) was a talented English writer and teacher. She wrote many stories for children, especially about history. She also wrote helpful books and poems, including hymns.

Early Life and Learning

Emily Howson Taylor was born in 1795 in a place called Banham, Norfolk, England. Her father was Samuel Taylor. She came from a family of writers and thinkers. Her uncle, John Taylor, wrote hymns, and her great-grandfather, Dr. John Taylor, was a scholar of ancient languages. Her brother, Edgar Taylor, also became a writer.

Sadly, Emily's mother passed away shortly after she was born. So, Emily was raised by her father, five brothers, one sister, and two aunts. When she was seven years old, she became partly deaf after getting scarlet fever. Because of this, she couldn't go to a regular school.

A Career in Writing and Teaching

When Emily moved with her father to New Buckenham, she decided to open her own school. About 30 children attended her school. Emily really focused on teaching singing. This was partly because she became friends with Sarah Ann Glover, a music expert. Sarah had created a special way of teaching music called the Norwich sol-fa system.

In 1825, Emily published her first book of poems called The Vision of Las Casas, and Other Poems. The main poem in the book was about a vision seen by a dying man named Bartolomé de las Casas. This poem had an important message against slavery, which was a big issue at the time. It even mentioned famous people like Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce, who worked to end slavery.

In 1842, Emily moved to London to live with her widowed sister. She continued to teach there. Emily wrote many historical stories and educational books for children. Some of her popular books included The Ball I Live On, or, Sketches of the Earth and Chronicles of an Old English Oak, or Sketches of English Life and History. Her writings also appeared in magazines like the Monthly Repository.

Emily's other books included Letters to a Child on Maritime Discovery (1820), Tales of the Saxons (1832), and The Boy and the Birds (1835). She also helped edit other books and contributed to story collections like the Magnet Stories and the Rainbow Stories.

Writing Hymns

Emily Taylor also wrote many hymns, which are religious songs. These hymns were very popular throughout the 1800s. She contributed 14 hymns anonymously to a Unitarian hymnal in 1818.

Some of her well-known hymns include:

• "Come to the house of prayer"
• "God of the changing year Whose arm of power"
• "O Father, though the anxious fear"
• "O here, if ever, God of love"

She also wrote hymns like "Here, Lord, when at Thy Table met" and "The Gospel is the light." Many of her hymns were included in different collections, showing how widely they were used.

Emily Taylor passed away on March 11, 1872, in St Pancras, London.