On 6th May 1929 Bishop John Bernard Taylor was born at Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland [Map]. As a young boy he moved with his family to Watford. He attended Watford Boys' Grammar School after which he went up to Christ's College, Cambridge University [Map] where he took a First in Classics and, having secured the Lady Kay Scholarship to Jesus College, proceded to take a First in Theology.
In 1952 Bishop John Bernard Taylor [aged 22] joined the RAF and won the Sword of Honour as the top officer cadet, and when his National Service ended he was awarded a research fellowship at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
In August 1956 Bishop John Bernard Taylor [aged 27] and Linda Courtenay Barnes [aged 26] were married. They were married for more than sixty years.
In 1964 Bishop John Bernard Taylor [aged 34] was appointed Vice-Principal of Oak Hill Theological College which office he held until 1972.
From 1966 Bishop John Bernard Taylor [aged 36] published a number of books: A Christian's Guide to the Old Testament (1966); Evangelism among Children and Young People (1967); Tyndale Commentary on Ezekiel (1969) and Preaching through the Prophets (1983).
In 1972 Bishop John Bernard Taylor [aged 42] was appointed Vicar of All Saints, Woodford Wells.
In 1975 Bishop John Bernard Taylor [aged 45] was appointed Archdeacon of West Ham which office he held until 1980.
On 1st May 1980 Bishop John Bernard Taylor [aged 50] was consecrated Bishop of St Albans. He was enthroned at St Albans Cathedral [Map] on 14th June 1980.
In 1988 Bishop John Bernard Taylor [aged 58] was appointed Lord High Almoner which office he held until 1997.
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
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In August 1995 Bishop John Bernard Taylor [aged 66] retired and lived for many years in Cambridge.
In 1997 Bishop John Bernard Taylor [aged 67] was appointed Knight Commander of the Victorian Order.
On 1st June 2016 Bishop John Bernard Taylor [aged 87] died at the Hospice of St Francis, Berkhamsted. he was buried at St Albans Cathedral [Map].
In 2022 [his former wife] Linda Courtenay Barnes [aged 92] died.