The Taylor (Tailzour before anglicisation[6]) family – and Watson-Taylor's father, through his marriage – derived its wealth from sugar and slavery in the
Colony of Jamaica. In 1852, Simon Watson-Taylor inherited Jamaican estates from his mother Anna. However, the vast majority of the wealth created by her great-uncle
Simon Tailzour had been largely squandered by George Watson-Taylor.[7] Watson-Taylor maintained a strong interest in the affairs of Jamaica and offered public support to Governor
Edward John Eyre, after he brutally suppressed the
Morant Bay rebellion of 1865. Watson-Taylor helped to found the Eyre Defence Fund, which aimed to vindicate the former governor as an imperial hero.[8]
Family
On 30 June 1843 Watson-Taylor married Lady Hannah Charlotte Hay (1818–1887), one of the eight daughters of
Field MarshalGeorge Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale (1787–1876). There were four sons and seven daughters from their marriage.[9]
^Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 107–8.
ISBN0-900178-26-4.