[8] He served as minister of the Unitarian churches in Barnard Castle, Durham (1882–1884) and in South St. Mungo Street, Glasgow (1884–1885).

[9] He did not find favour with either congregation, and in 1885 the Glasgow church passed a resolution that Taylor's services be dispensed with.

[1] Taylor began to study the works of freethinking writers and philosophers such as Herbert Spencer, and published articles in William Stewart Ross's Secular Review.

[15] In 1902, by which time Taylor and his family had moved to Nelson, he was prosecuted on several charges of fraudulently altering his mining company's books of account.

Although his defence was that the problems were due to disorganised bookkeeping practices rather than dishonesty,[16] he was found guilty on one charge and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour.

[17] A petition seeking early remission of his prison sentence attracted several hundred signatures from Nelson residents, but was unsuccessful.

Describing himself as a consulting geologist and mining engineer, he wrote several pamphlets and articles on seismology, sunspots, philosophy, and theology.