Lincolnshire medium bow back Windsor armchair probably William Taylor, with 3 quatrefoil and flea de lys pierced splat, 6 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarms, bell-shaped seat, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher WS 165

Lincolnshire medium bow back Windsor armchair probably William Taylor, with 3 quatrefoil and flea de lys pierced splat, 6 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarms, bell-shaped seat, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher WS 165

Shaped elm seat, two inches thick , chamfered under edges. Back support all ash wood except cherry splat . Eight short and six long spindles. Distinctive quatrefoil pattern on splat. Four blind square pins on back bow and five on the arm bow let in from the back.

Ash wood front legs with typical Lincolnshire ring and cove decoration, slightly shortened, one with evidence of torn fibres from cleaving blank. One plain ash back leg and one elm replacement leg and two elm replacement short stretchers. Ash crinoline stretcher. Weight : 13 ¼ lbs.

This chair was made by William Taylor, of that I have no doubt. If you look in Dr B D Cotton's The English Regional Chair (1990) at figure NE 28 on p. 118 you will see an identical chair which is signed Taylors Grantham. That is the stamp of William Taylor of Grantham. Also on the original rear leg there is an incised mark to show where the hole centre is to be drilled for the cross stretcher. I have only seen one chair with this constructional aid before and that is on chair WS 126 and if you look at that chair you will see that it is also signed Taylors Grantham.

© William Sergeant 2015 and 2020