John Taylor

Born in Gloucester and later apprenticed to a Thames waterman, John Taylor built an unusual career out of both rowing passengers and writing for a wide audience. He styled himself the "Water Poet," and became known for poems, pamphlets, and social commentary that mixed humor, observation, and self-promotion.

His writing ranged widely, touching on travel, city life, current events, and the concerns of ordinary working people. That broad, lively style helped make him one of the most distinctive popular writers of his time, even if he was never treated as a major courtly poet.

Taylor is still remembered for the strong personality that runs through his work: inventive, outspoken, and closely tied to the world of London river life. His books offer a vivid glimpse of early modern England from the perspective of someone who knew both its streets and its spectators.