William Taylor of Grantham high bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair with 3-piercing fleur de lys and pierced urn upper splat, single pierced lower splat, 6 long spindles, 8 short, turned underarm supports, H stretcher with darts, ring & cove turning w lower ring, plain back, bell shaped seat sides

WS 126 TAYLORS GRANTHAM

This chair appeared online at an East Midlands auction in May 2014.  The picture was of good quality and it took no time to realise that it was an early Lincolnshire chair. It had obviously been reduced in height but everything looked original. I was not able to get to the viewing so followed the auction on the internet; I was convinced that I knew who the maker was. When the lot came up there was very little interest and soon the chair was knocked down to me for not very much. A couple of days later I travelled over to collect the chair and had the chance to view it for the first time. It was my lucky day: not only was it in good condition but the maker was clearly stamped on the seat; either the auctioneer had failed to see the impressed name or he saw reason to mention it in the sale description. But what totally amazed me was it had been made by a different maker in a different town to the one that I had expected. There are chairs on this site signed by Taylor - see No 80 - but this name clearly has an " S " on the end. There is a picture of a chair by this maker in Dr B D Cotton’s The English Regional Chair (1990) at p. 118 and the maker is William Taylor.  He 
made a remarkable claim in the Stamford Mercury on 25 June 1813:

"WILLIAM TAYLOR, the Original Windsor Chair-maker, No.11, WESTGATE, GRANTHAM returns thanks for the very liberal encouragement he has for several years experienced at Stow Green Fair, and informs his friends and the public in general, he will have an assortment of Yew and other Windsor Chairs at the above fair, on the 2d and 3d of July, when orders will be thankfully received. Observe, none are his make but those marked "Taylor's, Grantham," on the seat. Turning executed to order, all sorts of spinning wheels made and repaired, screws cut for benches, cheese and other presses, on the shortest notice."

This is an incredible statement to publish in a public newspaper; it implies that he was the first person to make these chairs in the area and for the public to beware of lookalike copies. 

WS 127 TAYLORS GRANTHAM seat stamp

Another TAYLORS chair may be found here.

© William Sergeant 2020