John Ellor Taylor (1837, Levenshulme, England–1895, Ipswich, England) was an English popular science writer, journalist and museum curator.

Encouraged by the locomotive superintendent, John Ramsbottom, Taylor applied himself to Latin, Greek, and the natural sciences, and when seventeen began to attend evening classes at the Manchester Mechanics' Institute.

After a brief stay in the engineer draughtsman's office at the LNWR Crewe works, he obtained in 1863 a position as sub-editor on the Norwich Mercury under Richard Noverre Bacon.

He married on 22 January 1867, at Stoke Holy Cross,[5] Sarah Harriet, youngest daughter of William Bellamy, headmaster of the boys' model school, Norwich.

They include: He was also editor of Hardwicke's Science Gossip, to which he contributed, from 1872 to 1893, and wrote some twelve papers, mostly on geological subjects, that appeared in scientific journals between 1865 and 1883.