John Taylor

John Taylor (22 August 1779, in Norwich – 5 April 1863, in London) was a British mining engineer. Life Taylor was the son of John and Susannah Taylor. He was the brother of Philip Taylor. Business interests Many of Taylor’s business interests were backed by the Martineau family. In 1796 he improvised a mechanised copper ore crusher at Wheal Friendship, a mine just outside Tavistock, Devon. This machine was improved over time and became widely adopted; it was known as the "Cornish rolls". Two years later, in 1798, when he was only 19 years old, he became the manager of this mine. Taylor’s sons and Peter Finch Martineau’s son and grandson were still active in its operations and oversight nearly a century later. From 1803 to 1817 Taylor oversaw the construction of the Tavistock Canal, which linked the town of Tavistock to Morwellham Quay on the River Tamar, where cargo was loaded into ships.