Silas Domville

or D’omvill alias Taylor son of Silvanus Taylor a Committee man for Herefordshire in the time of the rebellion, a busie man against the Kings party, and a Commissioner for Herefordshire and certain Counties in Wales for the ejecting of scandalous, ignorant and insufficient Ministers and School-Masters, was born at Harley near Muchwenlock in Shropshire, on the 16 of July 1624, bred in the Free-Schools at Westminster and Shrewsbury, became a Communer of New Inn in the beginning of the year 1641, but being soon after called thence, without the taking of a degree, upon the eruption of the Civil Wars, he took part with the Rebels upon his fathers instance, and at length became a Captain under Colonel, afterwards Major General, Edw. Massey; and when the Wars ceased he was made by his fathers endeavours a Sequestrator of the Royalists in Herefordshire, and had in those times great power there; which he used so civilly and obligingly that he was beloved of all the Kings party. His father setled upon him a good estate in Church Lands which he had bought, and had the moity of the Bishops Pallace in Hereford setled on him, (the other part Col. John Birch had got into his clutches) on which he laid out much mony in building and altering. Upon the rising of Sir George Booth in Cheshire, in the beginning of Aug. 1659, he received a Commission to be Captain of a Troop of Horse for the Militia of the City of Westminster, and shew’d himself very active in that employment; but at the Kings return, he lost all and was in a manner ruined. Soon after, by the favour of certain persons whom he had before obliged, he became Commissary of the ammunition and warlike provision at Dunkirke, and five years after (about 1665) he was, by the endeavours of Sir Paul Neile and others, made keeper of the Kings Store-houses for Shipping and other marine matters at Harwich a Sea-port Town in Essex, where he continued to the time of his death. This person being a great lover of Antiquities, did in the times of usurpation ransack the Library belonging to the Church of Hereford, of most, or at least the best Mss therein, and did also garble the Mss in the Library of the Church at Worcester, and the evidences pertaining thereunto; among which, as I have heard, he got the original grant of K. Edgar: whence the Kings of England derive their right to the soveraignty of the Seas, which is printed in Mr. Seldens book called Mare Clausum, lib. 2. He had got also into his hands a quarto Ms of great antiquity which treated of the Philosophers stone in Hieroglyphicks, with some few lat. verses underneath: And being limn’d with very great curiosity it was presented to the view of his Majesty K. Ch. 2, who offer’d 100 l. for it, but was refused by the owner. This person commonly called Captain Taylor hath written,

The History of Gavel-kind, with the Etymology thereof; containing also an assertion that our English laws are for the most part those that were used by the antient Britains, notwithstanding the several conquests of the Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans. Lond. 1663. qu.

Observations and remarks upon many special occurrences of British and English History—Printed with the former book. At the end of which is an Anonymus Ms. by him publish’d entit. Brevis relatio de Willielmo Comite Normannorum, &c. The original of which is in the Archives of Bodlies Library, communicated to him by Dr. Tho. Barlow the head keeper of that Library. He had also written and published several pamphlets before the restauration of K. Ch. 2, but his name being not put to, would never after own, them. He also laboured four years or more in collecting various antiquities, as Armes, monumental Inscriptions, &c. in many places of Herefordshire, during his employment there under the two Protectors: Which being now, or at least lately, in the hands of Sir Edw. Harley of Brompton Brian, may serve as an Apparatus for him who shall hereafter write the Antiquities of that County. He wrot also The description of Harwich, and all its appurtenances and antiquities; which is now in Ms. in a private hand. He had great skill not only in the practical, but theoretical part of Musick, did compose several lessons, some of which were tried and played in the publick School of that fac. in this University, while Dr. Wilson held the chair, before his Majesties restauration; and after that time, he being well acquainted with that most admired Organist to the Queen, called Matthew Lock, (who had married one Garnons a Herefordshire Woman) he did compose several Anthems; two, or more of which were sung in his Majesties Chappel; which being well performed, his Maj. was pleased to tell the author that he liked them. He had also good skill in the Mathematicks and the Tongues, and might have proved excellent in them, had his continuance in the University been longer, or had he not spent most of his time in military matters. He died on the fourth day of Novemb. in sixteen hundred seventy and eight,1678. and was buried in the Chancel of the Church of Harwich before mention’d. He died much in debt, so that all such Mss. and Papers that were then laying by him (some of which he had before pawned) were with his goods seized on by his Creditors. His Father Silvanus Taylor before mention’d, who also had been one of the High Court of Justice, and a grand Oliverian wrot and published, Common good: or, the improvement of Commons, Forrests and Chases by enclosure: Wherein the advantage of the Poor, the common plenty of all, and the increase and preservation of timber, with other things of common concernment, are considered. Lond. 1652. in 7. sh. and an half in qu. Dedicated to the supreme authority of the Nation the Parliament of England. He had a son of both his names, sometimes a Communer of Wadham Coll. afterwards M. A. and Fellow of that of Allsouls, an ingenious man, and well skill’d in the practical part of Musick, who died at Dublin in Ireland in the beginning of Nov. 1672.