Saturday, 3 October 2026

William Taylor, publisher of “Robinson Crusoe”, left his widow a fortune in 1724

Share

William Taylor Was the Owner of a Shop in Paternoster Row with the Promising Name "The Ship"

By the end of his life the successful businessman had managed to put by between 40 and 50 thousand pounds. By the standards of the eighteenth century that is an enormous sum (£1 in 1750 is £120 in 2000).

In 1724 he died and left his entire fortune to his wife, who did not remain a widow for long and within a couple of months married a friend and colleague of the deceased. A notice appeared about it, reporting that Mr Taylor's widow, the possessor of thirty thousand pounds, had entered into a new marriage.

Attention, here is the question: how did the little widow manage to spend between 10 and 20 thousand pounds in eight months?

William Taylor was the publisher who printed "Robinson Crusoe"

Report a translation error