Unstamped comb back Lincolnshire Windsor side chair with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 6 long spindles, straight sided seat, ball turned front legs with vase shaped feet, plain back legs, H stretcher

WS 162 comb back Lincolnshire Windsor side chair 

One of a set of three identical comb back side chairs. The design of these chairs fits exactly the tradition of Lincolnshire side chairs though it is without any identifying marks. The plain back legs and top comb uniting the back supports is emblematic. I don't know the name of the maker but these front legs are so distinctive and the chair No 146 must have come from the same workshop. Originally offered for sale at Bateman's auction house in Stamford, Lincolnshire in early 2015; constructed with an elm seat and back comb, the rest is mainly ash but like No 146 there is some use of beech.
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Intriguingly , written on the underside of the seat in flowing Victorian hand of pencil it says "Mrs Waldin - Easton". Now the hamlet of Easton is mentioned in White's Directory of Lincolnshire in 1872 as containing 188 souls along with a "dame" school supported by Lady Georgiana Cholmeley. The schoolmistress is called Hannah Walton. She appears in the 1871 census living at Newton Lodge, Easton, occupation schoolmistress. If you are wondering where this village is: it's half way between Grantham and Stamford.

Who made chairs in Stamford between 1844 and his death in 1875? James Taylor (1815-1875) later assisted by his two sons, William Taylor junior (1838-1902) and James Waite Taylor (1841- 1893).  Who was James Taylor? Son of John Taylor (1782- aft. 1841), grandson of Roger (1763-1801) and Sophia Taylor (1761-1841), nephew of William Taylor (1784-1864), all Windsor chair makers of Grantham.

In my comments on No 146 I draw attention to its similarity to six chairs in Dr Cotton's book. They all have the same ball turnings and vase feet as the side chair in this post. The last of the six, NE 116 p.135, as Dr Cotton observes, also has turned outer uprights (or stiles) very similar to the Taylor stamped chair at NE 109 p.134, a stamped chair identical to which appears on this site as No 18.  I suspect that the Taylor family may be the key to working out the most likely makers of these ball-turned chairs.

© William Sergeant 2015 with additional material by Julian Parker 2019