Sophia Taylor

Sophia Louisa Taylor (2 July 1847 – 24 January 1930) was a New Zealand suffragist and landowner.

Early life

She was born Sophia Davis in Kaitaia, Northland, New Zealand in 1847. Her parents were the private tutor John Davis, who worked for the Matthews and Puckey missionary families, and Mary Ann Cryer. In 1855 William Gilbert Puckey dismissed her father from his position and the family consequently moved to Auckland.

She married Allan Kerr Taylor, a widower with substantial land holdings who was 15 years her senior, on 8 June 1865.

The family was actively engaged in St Luke's Church, following the Anglican faith, St Luke's Church was registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust on 7 April 1983 as a Category II heritage building with registration number 681.

Alberton was expanded to an 18-room mansion in the 1870s and became known for the garden parties, hunts, and other entertainments held there.

Children Allan had two children from his first marriage but both children died in their first year, before his marriage to Sophia.

Allan and Sophia's children were:

Vincent Frederick (9 July 1866 – 25 May 1920). Vincent attended Auckland Grammar School and later married Amy Evelyn Turner. Vincent died suddenly in 1920. They had a son, Colin Vivian Taylor (1906–1984).

Winifred Mabel (13 August 1867 – 18 September 1964) was the oldest daughter. She attended Auckland Girls' High School and she never married.

Mildred Amy (4 March 1869 – 24 December 1957) also attended Auckland Girls'.

Hector Randall (28 January 1871 – 21 May 1914), unmarried. Hector had epilepsy and was tutored privately at Alberton.

Adeline Daisy (31 July 1872 – 20 February 1874) died in infancy.

Adeline Violet (11 March 1874 – 1966) also attended Auckland Girls'. She married Alfred Edward Gilmore in 1894, and they had four children.

Flora Daisy (21 December 1875 – 15 September 1885) died aged nine, of a "brain fever", which may have been a form of meningitis.

Theodore Allan (13 September 1883 – 30 April 1960) married Clare Edna Ross with whom he had four children. He later married Mabel Ebenezer Hobden.

Muriel Hyacinth (17 January 1887 – 1972), considerably younger than her sisters, was not allowed to marry a suitor because her mother did not consider him suitable, and refused to marry anyone else.

Lancelot Everard (1 June 1888 – 6 August 1955) served with the Auckland Mounted Rifles in the Middle East during World War I. He married Dulcie Monica Short, and they had five children.

Later life

Allan Taylor died in April 1890, leaving Sophia with an estate valued at £20,000 but with a £4,000 mortgage. Sophia had not been involved in her husband's business affairs and was unprepared for the financial burden.

She sold investments and land to pay death duties and sustain the household, but the family was unable to fully maintain its comfortable lifestyle. She also sold some of their horses and carriages, and possibly reduced the number of servants, including the coachman. For the next 40 years she managed the estate, earning income from the sale of its farm produce, including vegetables, fruit, and flowers, and overseeing a flock of prize poultry that provided eggs for sale.

Sophia Taylor, her husband and their children are buried at St Luke's graveyard.