Taylor, Clementia (1810-1908)

Clementia Taylor, nee Doughty, was a close friend to George Eliot from her first moments in London. They met at one of John Chapman’s receptions at 142 Strand. In 1861, Eliot expressed the difficulties of “paying visits” with ill health to Taylor (GEL3:397). Afterwards, Taylor made an effort to visit Eliot in the early 1860s, a time when many other women deemed themselves too respectable to visit her because she was living openly with George Henry Lewes. Eliot regarded Taylor’s visits as a “life preserver” sent by “relenting destiny” (GEL2:14). Taylor was a staunch supporter of women’s rights, especially on the matter of suffrage. She married Peter Alfred Taylor (1819-1891) in 1842. He served as Liberal MP for Leicester from 1862-1884.

George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org

2:13, 2:14, 2:52, 2:85, 2:254, 3:395, 3:397, 3:475, 4:10, 4:70, 4:94, 4:126, 4:128, 4:134, 4:139, 4:196, 4:199, 4:366, 5:150, 5:172, 5:258, 5:328, 5:446, 5:474, 6:65, 6:119, 6:142, 6:160, 6:179, 6:369, 6:417, 7:44, 7:195, 7:201, 7:228, 7:241, 7:308, 7:330