[4] Born in Ruabon, Wales, on 8 May 1863, Taylor joined the Royal Navy on 1 July 1885, when he was rated an acting assistant engineer.

HMS Tiger was struck by fire from the German cruiser SMS Blücher, and Taylor died during the engagement.

He was an association footballer before he left home at sixteen to enrol as a naval engineering student at HMS Marlborough in Portsmouth.

Taylor was a member of the HMS Marlborough rugby club when he made his debut for Wales against England in 1884 under the captaincy of Charlie Newman in the Home Nations Championship.

In 1884 Taylor was reselected for Wales, in a team that would host several past and future captains, including Arthur Gould, Tom Clapp, Frank Hancock and Newman.