John Taylor (24 August 1578 – 1653 / Gloucester, England)

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John Taylor was an English poet who dubbed himself "The Water Poet".

Biography

He was born in Gloucester, 24 August 1578.

After his waterman apprenticeship he served (1596) in Essex's fleet, and was present at Flores in 1597 and at the siege of Cadiz.

He spent much of his life as a Thames waterman, a member of the guild of boatmen that ferried passengers across the River Thames in London, in the days when the London Bridge was the only passage between the banks. He became a member of the ruling oligarchy of the guild, serving as its clerk; it is mainly through his writings that history is familiar with the watermen's disputes of 1641–42, in ... more »

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