The silent partner - Richard Taylor

When the formation of the Manchester and Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges and Homes took place on the 4th January 1870, it was all down to the endeavours of two men, Leonard Kilbee Shaw and Richard Bramwell Taylor. It was the passionate and personable Shaw however, who stood as the face of the charity in its early days. Although little has been written about Shaw, even less has come to light about his friend and co-founder Richard Taylor. Today we attempt to address this to a small degree.

Richard Bramwell Taylor c. 1900

Richard Bramwell Taylor was born in a place called Steel in Shropshire in 1837 to Sarah and Thomas Taylor, a Schoolmaster and Schoolmistress. Richard grew up in a school house in Wem surrounded by other boarders his own age. It would appear his was a comfortable upbringing.

Like so many of his contemporaries during the mid 19th century, by the late 1850’s Taylor had left the countryside of Shropshire and made his way north to Manchester. Here he joined the well known department store of Kendal Milne and Faulkner as a Draper Assistant.

Kendal Milne store sign

From an early date Taylor had joined the St Ann’s Church and began to work at the St Ann’s Ragged School on Queen Street, helping to educate those children who otherwise would receive no education. His association with this school lasted for 50 years, and it was here that he met the Refuge’s co-founder Leonard Shaw.

Away from the charity he married and set up his own business as a merchant employing around 26 hands at the peak of his work. Like Shaw he was a successful businessman and also highly religious, determined to use his position in life to help others. Unlike Shaw however, poor health prevented him from taking a more active part in the charity he had helped set up, although he remained a Trustee and Committee Member all his life. This resulted in few images of Richard within the Together Trust archive.

Richard Taylor in 1873 (2nd row left hand side)

On 29th April 1907, Richard Bramwell Taylor passed away at his home in Southport where he and his wife had moved in the early 1900s. Walter Browne (first Master of the Central Refuge) wrote on his death:

“It is no exaggeration to say that his was the record of a life crowded with good work and devoted to the rescue of fallen humanity, in the slums and dens of iniquity throughout Manchester and Salford.”

– 1907.