Lincolnshire comb back armchair by Marsh Sleaford, with curved crest rail, with 8 long spindles, the outer of which are turned stiles above the arm bow, which is chamfered at its ends, 6 short spindles, turned underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts WS 208

Lincolnshire comb back armchair by Marsh Sleaford, with curved crest rail, with 8 long spindles, the outer of which are turned stiles above the arm bow, which is chamfered at its ends, 6 short spindles, turned underarms straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts WS 208

This comb back Lincolnshire armchair is from the wonderful collection of former Regional Furniture Society member, James Drake. I was delighted when he said that I could include it here, as it's so important and you all will be able to appreciate it. It has an impressed name stamp towards the rear of the upper surface of the seat which reads MARSH, so from the workshop of father and son, Thomas and James Marsh of Sleaford. The legs and underarm turned supports are typical of their patterns but the chair is of overall compact proportions, the like of which I have never seen before. The particular pleasing feature are the two outside long back support spindles (stiles), which start at the seat level and pass through the armbow the continue with the decorative turning up to the back comb, an elegant touch. This could easily become my favorite Lincolnshire armchair.

© William Sergeant 2019

3 x Lincolnshire comb back Windsor side chairs with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 3-piercing fleur de lys and teardrop piercing splat, 4 long sticks, straight seat sides, 2 ring front leg turnings with vase-shaped feet, plain back leg turnings with vase feet, H stretcher WS 49

3 x Lincolnshire comb back Windsor side chairs with curved crest rail, 3-piercing fleur de lys and teardrop piercing splat, 4 long sticks, straight seat sides, 2 ring front leg turnings with vase-shaped feet, plain back leg turnings with vase feet, H stretcher WS 49

A set of three Lincolnshire comb back side chairs, probably made in Grantham or possibly Stamford. 

© William Sergeant 2011 and 2020

2 x Lincolnshire comb back Windsor side chairs by Marsh Sleaford with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 5 long spindles, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with 6 bobbin turning, H stretcher with darts WS 176

2 x Lincolnshire comb back Windsor side chairs by Marsh Sleaford with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 5 long spindles, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with 6 bobbin turning on left, H stretcher with darts on right, WS 176

Two complementary beautifully balanced Lincolnshire Windsor side chairs by Thomas or James Marsh of Sleaford. Their turning and proportions stand out amongst Lincolnshire makers.

Angled view of Lincolnshire comb back Windsor side chair by Marsh Sleaford with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 5 long spindles, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with 6 bobbin turning 

© William Sergeant and Julian Parker 2020 

Lincolnshire comb back rocking side chair with turned stiles, 6 long spindles, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher WS 93

Lincolnshire comb back side rocking side chair WS 93

From the collection of Steven Voyt. This the first Lincolnshire side chair on rockers that I have ever seen. On close inspection it appears to be all original and genuine. Although it is unstamped,  just compare the turned back supports with WS 90, which is stamped Camm Grantham.  I think the two chairs are near enough identical to say that they were made in the same workshop. The major difference between the two is in the front leg design: while this one has two rings WS 90 has a ring and a cove; this would indicate a subtle change with time: the two ring design being recognised as coming later than the ring and cove.

© William Sergeant 2013 and 2020

Lincolnshire comb back side chair stamped Camm Grantham with turned stiles, 6 long spindles, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher WS 90

Lincolnshire comb back side chair stamped Camm Grantham with turned stiles, 6 long spindles, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher WS 90

Whilst visiting other peoples houses I have poor manners. I pay far too much attention to their furniture, particularly their chairs. On a previous visit to a house in the village of Navenby, I had spotted what looked like some Lincolnshire side chairs nestling under the kitchen table. On my most recent visit (2013) I was allowed closer inspection of the same and to my surprise and joy one of them was impressed with the maker's name : CAMM GRANTHAM. What a find! As far as I am aware there has been no record of a stamped comb back side chair by this maker although a quick search of Dr B D Cotton's The English Regional Chair (1990) shows a near identical chair stamped  J HILL (figures NE 104 and NE 105 on p. 134 ). Where is Navenby? It's north of Grantham on the road to Lincoln.

© William Sergeant 2013 and 2020

Comb back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair probably Camm Grantham with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 8 long spindles 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring & cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, H stretcher WS 12

Comb back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair probably Camm Grantham with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 8 long spindles 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring & cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, H stretcher WS 12

An unstamped comb back Windsor armchair from Grantham, identical to this stamped chair by Thomas Camm of Grantham. I had missed the stamped one at the auction in Buckinghamshire but I had taken many pictures for my own records so when this little beauty turned up at a Cambridgeshire auction unstamped and unloved I was certain who made it. I compared individual turnings side by side on the computer - they could have been made the same week from the Grantham workshop of Thomas Camm. It came home with me for a very reasonable price!

© William Sergeant 2012 and 2020

Comb back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped Camm Grantham with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 8 long spindles 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring & cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, H stretcher WS 13

Comb back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped Camm Grantham with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 8 long spindles 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring & cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, H stretcher WS 13

A comb back Windsor chair, stamped on the seat edge: Camm Grantham. This identifies the maker's workshop as Thomas Camm of Grantham, working about 1825.  This one turned up in an evening auction in Buckinghamshire and I travelled down to view: it was from a house clearance and in excellent condition. When the auction got under way there were very few people in the room and the auctioneer struggled to get bids on anything. The moment arrived for this lot. My hopes were sky high and heart beating fast: I started the bidding at a low amount and outbid a couple in the room; it was going to be mine for a modest sum; then came the moment I was fearful of: an anonymous phone bidder. Well, dear reader, you can imagine what happened next: I continued bidding but every time the phone outbid me. I went way over my limit to several hundred pounds but in the end I let it go. What disappointment! After that the auctioneer stopped the auction and asked me "What was that all about?" I explained that the chair really was the essence of Lincolnshire chairmaking and design, stamped by a maker who did not work for long in Grantham. He told me that the person on the phone was a London dealer who was known to him but had never shown an interest in chairs before. Well, he certainly had to pay a lot of money for it and good luck to him.

William Sergeant 2011 and 2020

2 x Lincolnshire and a Beverley Windsor side chair, with curved crest rails, turned stiles, 6 , 7 and 5 long spindles, straight seat sides, ring and cove front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretchers, 2 with darts WS 124

2 x Lincolnshire and a Beverley Windsor side chair, with curved crest rails, turned stiles, 6 , 7 and 5 long spindles, straight seat sides, ring and cove front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretchers, 2 with darts WS 124

Take a good look at the three chairs above. Many of you will recognise the right-hand chair as a splendidly crafted chair from Sleaford and stamped by Marsh, with 5 spindles across the back. The left-hand unstamped chair is of a similar date and is what you may expect to have been made in Grantham, with 6 spindles across the back. Now study the middle chair: it is such a mystery!

I happened across this chair at the Newark Antique fair at the beginning of April 2014. From a distance it was instantly recognisable as a Lincolnshire side chair but on closer inspection there were many aspects that I had not seen before. The row of 7 spindles was a first for me and the design turnery of the two outside spindles (stiles) is quite different from anything previously recorded . The elm seat is wider and deeper than the standard small seat you would expect and although the chair had been well used it is quite evident it was made by a very competent workshop. It appears to have been reduced in height in the past (hence the ramekin plinths!) and the seat has twisted to give a slightly distorted appearance.

I quizzed the dealer as to the history of this chair and was told that it came from a house clearance in Beverley, Yorkshire, East Riding. It was then that I remembered that I had spoken to the same person last year when he had 3 other chairs of the same design. Foolishly I had not photographed them and he told me they had been purchased by an American dealer, so there is little chance of ever seeing those again. I secured the purchase of this single chair so I could record it here, calling it a Beverley chair for want of a better name or until I discover who made it. The dealer also told me that he had had other similar chairs through his business in the past . Any other information on this design would be welcome: it may well be that there is a previously unrecorded maker from the East Riding of Yorkshire who was responsible for these lookalike Lincolnshire side chairs.

© William Sergeant 2014 and 2020

Comb back Lincolnshire side chair by Marsh of Sleaford with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 5 long spindles, straight seat sides, ring and cove turnings on the front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs and H stretcher with darts WS 14

Comb back Lincolnshire side chair by Marsh of Sleaford WS 14

Side chair with MARSH SLEAFORD impressed on upper rear surface of seat - this may relate to James Marsh (baptised 19th August 1803) who lived and worked in Jermyn St. Sleaford as a chair maker for all his life. This chair is one of a set of three that were offered for sale in a Lincoln auction in March 2001 and no mention was made in the sale catalogue that all were signed to the rear of the seat. There equally a good chance that the father of James made these chairs: his name was Thomas . The parish register of St Denys Sleaford shows Thomas's burial aged 67 on 25 April 1844. No will has yet been tracked down.

As I have said elsewhere, Marsh made really good chairs and for a very good reason. On the front page of the newly started Sleaford Gazette in the summer of 1858 there was an advertisement by Mr Darlow's Upholstery Establishment which sold cottage furniture including Windsor chairs at 2 shillings each, on South Street, Sleaford. Also on Westgate, Sleaford there was Mr William Robinson selling London, Birmingham and Sheffield goods including Windsor chairs, wholesale and retail! Messrs. Marsh must have made really good chairs at competitive prices to compete with the shops in town.

© William Sergeant 2012 and 2020 

Lincolnshire comb back Windsor armchair, with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 7 long spindles, 8 shirt, turned underarms, bell-shaped seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with 6 bobbin turning WS 101

Lincolnshire comb back Windsor armchair, probably by Marsh of Sleaford WS 101

The Marsh that got away. This lovely chair was offered at auction in the autumn of 2012 just to the south of London. I was not able to view but was happy to bid on the picture alone. A signed chair by Marsh of Sleaford appears at figure NE133 on p. 135 of Dr B D Cotton's The English Regional Chair (1990) and I was sure that this was by the same maker; the row of turned bobbins on the cross stretcher and the underarm turnings are a hallmark of this maker. Unfortunately I ended up as the underbidder!

© William Sergeant 2012 and 2020

Lincolnshire Caistor lath back splat back Windsor rocking chair with 4 laths, turned stiles, scroll arms, turned underarms with 2 short spindles, straight sided seat, 1 ring legs with vase-shaped feet x 4, H stretcher with bobbin turning WS 61

Lincolnshire Caistor lath back splat back Windsor rocking chair WS 61

This chair came from the same auction and the same house as WS 62; there are so many features that are common with the spindle-backed Caistor chairs and this one that there is every chance it was made in the same town. Also I did not realise until I got it home that there are initials stamped on the rear of the seat: 'CM'. A quick search of Dr B D Cotton's The English Regional Chair (1990) reveals a chairmaking apprentice Charles Maddison working in Caistor - intriguing.

© William Sergeant 2012 and 2020

Lincolnshire Caistor lath back high back Windsor armchair with curved crest rail, 5 laths turned stiles, turned underarm supports morticed into saucer arms, straight seat sides, 2 ring leg turnings with vase-shaped feet H stretcher with 4 bobbin turning WS 31

Lincolnshire Caistor lath back high back Windsor armchair WS 31

If it is agreed that WS 30 was made in Caistor then take a good look at this one - compare the legs and stretchers , study those two back turnings, contrast the underarm supports: this surely came from the same workshop.

© William Sergeant 2012 and 2020

Lincolnshire Caistor lath back high back Windsor armchair with curved crest rail, 5 laths, turned stiles, turned underarm supports morticed into saucer arms, straight seat sides, 3 ring leg turnings with vase-shaped feet H stretcher WS 30

Lincolnshire Caistor lath back high back Windsor armchair WS 30

This is just a wonderfully designed and made chair - I sit on it every day to have my meals. I bought this one several years ago from an antique shop in Coningsby (now closed) because of the similarities with the Caistor chair: compare this chair with WS 28 and WS 31. The similarities in the turnings run across all three chairs in slightly different combinations: I think you will agree that they all came from Caistor.

© William Sergeant 2012 and 2020

Lincolnshire comb back Windsor side chair, probably John Wilson, with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 6 long spindles, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher WS 119

Lincolnshire comb back Windsor side chair, probably John Wilson, with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 6 long spindles, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher WS 119

I happened across the middle of these three chairs in a local shop and while the dealer had correctly identified it as a Grantham side chair, there was no mention of the maker. However, although there was no maker's stamp or mark on it, I was sure it was by one of two Grantham makers. I took it along to fellow collector Brian Gray to compare it with his signed chairs: the one on the left is stamped Wilson and the right hand one stamped Taylor. We were left in no doubt that the similarity to the Wilson chair won the day. This is Lincolnshire vernacular furniture at its best!

© William Sergeant 2020

Lincolnshire comb back Windsor side chair, probably by a Grantham maker, with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 6 long spindles, straight seat sides, 2 ring front leg turnings with vase feet, plain back legs and H stretcher WS 17

Lincolnshire comb back Windsor side chair, probably by a Grantham maker, with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 6 long spindles, straight seat sides, 2 ring front leg turnings with vase feet, plain back legs and H stretcher WS 17

This chair shows all the hallmarks of a Grantham side chair though it is unsigned: it shares many features with figures NE 119 and NE 120 on p. 136 of Dr B D Cotton's The English Regional Chair (1990).

© William Sergeant 2012 and 2020

Lincolnshire high comb back Windsor armchair, stamped 'I TODD 1844', painted black and gold, with curved crest rail, 8 long spindles, 4 short, turned underarm supports, bell shaped seat, 2 ring front and back leg turnings with a lower ring, H stretcher with darts, side stretcher with darts

Lincolnshire high comb back Windsor armchair, elm and ash with black and gold paint stamped 'I TODD 1844' WS 109

John Todd is mentioned in two books on vernacular furniture and is supposed to have brought to Caistor the tradition of Windsor chair making. This is largely based on one chair stamped with his name and dated 1844. A picture of this chair appears at Plate 26 on p151 of Dr B D Cotton's The English Regional Chair (1990). Nothing else seems to have been written about him but research at the Lincoln Archives has discovered new and interesting information about him.

He was baptised into a Caistor family on 20th October 1782, the youngest of 4 children. His parents were married in Caistor on 18th May 1773 and were John Todd and Damaris Curtis. On the entry in the marriage register the profession of John senior is given as chair maker. It appears that John Todd junior's grandparents were also married in Caistor: Bartholomew Todd and Mary Pinder in 1746.

There are some references to John Todd junior being a juror also owning and renting small parcels of land in his early years. At the age of 37 he married Martha Green, a dress maker from Keelby and ten years older than him. There is a note of this event in the Lincolnshire Chronicle in 1819.  She died unexpectedly in March 1840 again there is a notice in the Lincoln paper. So in the census of 1841 Todd is recorded as a widower and has his niece Ann Sanderson (15) living with him. In 1851 he is living in the Horsemarket in Caistor with his nephew John Sanderson (37 and a joiner) and his niece Ann. By the time the 1861 census he is an old man of 78 still living with his unmarried nephew and niece. He lived till he was 80 and was buried in Caistor in November 1862.

In every reference to him in the papers or censuses, his occupation is always given as chair turner (the same is true of the Ashtons and Greens of Louth, Alford and Spilsby) and nowhere is there a reference to Windsor chair making . If he had been making chairs all his working life, which must have covered at least 45 years, it is quite conceivable that he made thousands of chairs. Where have all these chairs gone and why has only one ever been found with his name on it?

His will in the Lincolnshire Archives makes fascinating reading. It was made six years before he died. In it he leaves his own house, shop and garden in Caistor to his nephew John and goes on to list a further 8 properties that he bequeaths to his nephew and nieces; each one is denoted by the tenant at the time. A list is given below:


2. Tenant, Ann Grantham. To Joseph Sanderson.

3. Tenants, George Porter and Elizabeth Ringrose. To Benjanim Sanderson.

4.        "      , Joseph Wrack and William Keyworth. To William Sanderson.

5.        "      , Charles Mundy and Jane Gord. To Charles Sanderson.

6.        "      , George Moody and William Mundy. To Damaris Bilton, wife of Robert.

7.        "      , James Parke. To Sarah Sanderson.

8.        "     , Thomas Moore and Mary Frow. To Ann Sanderson.

9.        "     , James Harrison and John Dewick (?). To Mary Sanderson.

The riddle of the missing chairs from Todd could easily be explained if he had made only one Windsor style chair in 1844 and all the other chairs that he made were of the rush seated ladder back variety that were made in north-east Lincolnshire. None has ever been found with a maker's name on it.

© William Sergeant 2013 and 2020

Lincolnshire comb back side chair, probably from Grantham, with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 4 long spindles, 3-piercing fleur de lys and teardrop piercing splat, straight seat sides, 2 ring front leg turnings with vase feet, plain back legs with vase feet, H stretcher WS 96

Lincolnshire comb back side chair, probably from Grantham, ash with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 4 long spindles, 3-piercing fleur de lys and teardrop piercing splat, straight seat sides, 2 ring front leg turnings with vase feet, plain back legs with vase feet, H stretcher WS 96

In the collection of Steven Voyt. An unsigned side chair with everything pointing to it being made in Grantham . This chair was inspected by Bill Cotton about 15 years ago and he suggested that it may have been made by Wilson of Grantham . If you have one like this but with a maker's name on it then please let me know.
© William Sergeant 2013 and 2020

A Caistor rocker at Newark Antiques Fair 2013

A Caistor rocker at Newark Antiques Fair 2013 WS 103

I found this chair at the Newark Antiques fair; I didn't buy it but the dealer kindly let me record it. Those turned stiles that are the back supports are so reminiscent of chairs which are associated with Caistor that this one probably comes from there too.

© William Sergeant 2013 

Lincolnshire comb back Windsor armchair with curved crest rail, turned stiles, 7 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, 2 ring front leg turnings with vase feet, rear legs plain with vase feet, H stretcher, attributed to the workshop of Samuel Wood of Grantham

Lincolnshire comb back Windsor armchair with curved crest rail and turned stiles

I had just published yesterday's post on the chairs of Samuel Wood of Grantham, in which three chairs with turned underarm supports, believed to be unique to that maker's workshop, are featured, when I thought I might just check again whether there were any other stamped "Wood Grantham" chairs hiding on the web anywhere. I spent a few minutes checking my usual sources amongst auction houses, antiques dealers, and all other material for chair-fans published on the web: nothing emerged. I have a comprehensive private digital database of every known stamped Lincolnshire chair and checked that to make sure I hadn't overlooked one that was already known about. Nothing.

I went for a walk around the garden to get a breath of fresh air in these sad days of self-isolation. I had a chat, from a distance, with one of my wonderful neighbours, decided I was getting a little chilly, and went back to my laptop which is currently set up on the dining room table so I can watch the world go by through the windows.

As I sat down I glanced at one of my chairs that sits around the table and did a double take. I was looking at a front leg absolutely identical to the lower chair in yesterday's post, WS 175. I cautiously looked up and realised that I was now looking at an identical underarm turning. The back legs, plain but with vase feet are the same as WS 175 too. 

The long spindles all are thicker below the arm bow and thinner above the arm bow, which is also true of the upper chair in yesterday's post, WS 173. The ends of the arm bow are finished in the same way. The rear legs and H stretcher, the centre part of which, unusually amongst Lincolnshire chairs, is almost of the same girth as the legs, are the same as WS 173. The front chamfer on the sides and front of the seats are the same. The whole seat shape is very similar.  This comb back, which I bought last year because of its pleasing proportions, can now be attributed to the workshop of Samuel Wood of Grantham.

WS 173, reversed, on the left; comb back on right

It is striking how well the comb back's 3 pairs of turned rings, graduated in descending size, cascading from top to bottom, i) on the stiles (vertical turned outer members); ii) on the turned underarm supports; and iii) on the front legs, bring the design of the chair together into a well-balanced harmonious whole. The craftsman who made this chair was very skilled indeed.

Sharp-eyed readers may notice considerable similarity to this chair by George Wilson.  George Wilson, was of course, Samuel Wood's master when the latter was apprenticed. There are tell-tale differences between the two chairs.

The Samuel Wood workshop went for two similarly-sized inverted isosceles trapezoid spaces either side of the 3 short spindles. This is a pleasingly harmonious method of resolving the angles which happen when the comb leans back and the underarm support, holding the arm bow in tension, leans forward (ditto for WS 173).  Four vase-shaped feet break up the otherwise straight line at the foot of the legs and mirror the turning at the top of the stiles.

The Wilson chair places the first short spindle each side below the arm bow further back, behind the mortice joint where the stile meets the arm bow. This leaves a larger asymmetric trapezoid space at the underarm support, which does not sit so elegantly with the upper obtuse trapezoid space between the last long spindle and the stile of the comb.  The single lower ring, which may be a slightly earlier Grantham trait than vase-shaped feet, has no counterpoint on the back legs. The result, for me at least, is that the Wood chair has a slightly more pleasing feel.

© Julian Parker 2020

Leicestershire curved comb back Windsor armchair by William Rowe of Hallaton, with 14 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarms, bell shaped seat, ring and cove leg turnings, front and back, H stretcher with barrels

WS 170 Leicestershire curved comb back Windsor armchair by William Rowe of Hallaton

It is immediately obvious that whoever made this chair was well versed in his trade and could be considered to be a professional chairmaker. While I have not seen another chair quite like this one there are many pointers to where the maker learnt his trade. For instance, the bell shaped seat (in plan view) is just typical of what I would expect from a Lincolnshire maker as are the rings and cove decoration to the front legs. The seat appears to be made from ash and the rest of the chair from yew wood with spindles for back support - all point to an association to early Lincolnshire chairmakers circa 1800 - 1820.

Pictured below is the undercarriage of the chair.  Some features that point to a different influence of manufacture: one design element that appears and which I have never seen on a Lincolnshire chair is the elegant barrel-shaped lozenges on each of the three stretchers. Identical stretchers may be found on this East Anglian chair. The double ring design at the bottom of the legs is found on Mendlesham chairs and others associated with East Anglia.   - I have never seen these on a signed Lincolnshire chair. 

The back spindles being united with a top comb rail may lead some to think that this is a Lincolnshire trait, which is right as a design feature, but it would be wrong by the date, as these did not appear on early chairs but seem to become fashionable after 1835. The number of spindles in the back are 14 long and 8 short which would appear to be excessively high in total and would add nothing extra to its structural integrity; a typical example would be this chair by Amos that has 9 long and 8 short. The size and shape of the top comb is unique as far as I know as are the two outside long back spindles with their beautifully crafted lengths of different diameters. The fact that the two frontmost short spindles have been let through and wedged into the armbow points to superior craftsmanship and has only rarely been recorded before by me.  The final point to note is that the back spindles holes have been drilled right through the seat; the only Lincolnshire chairs that have this feature are those probably made by Joseph Newton of Fenton which are much earlier, dating from 1725 to 1750.  There are Nottinghamshire chairs recorded with this feature from the Retford and Rockley workshops, particularly associated with William Wheatland.

Finally I come to the name stamp - and I find this a real conundrum: most makers who their own name stamps used them with large letters either on the upper surface of the seat or on a side edge; these were put there with the expressed purpose of advertising their wares. The impressed mark of W Rowe is more typical of a retailer but I do not think this applies in this case. It could be easily explained by the fact that the name stamp is the same one used by Mr William Rowe to stamp his own tools in his chest to identify his possessions.

Research into this maker only shows he was recorded working in Hallaton in Leicestershire in the early 1840's. There is a John Rowe, chair turner in Pigot's 1835 Directory in Hallaton. William Rowe appears as chair maker in the 1841 Pigot's Directory. There are 2 William Rowes in the 1841 Poll Book for the Hundred of Gartree which included Hallaton. There are 3 William Rowes in the 1841 census in Hallaton, one a shoemaker aged 55, one a grazier aged 80 and one aged 65 'of independent means'.

He may well have had a business employing several journeymen, as did the Lincolnshire chairmakers, and one of them could have made this chair after learning his trade as an apprentice somewhere in East Anglia and incorporating the design features common to that area. Alternatively, it may be found after more research that it was Mr Rowe who originally came from EA and learnt his trade there. It may be possible to unravel this dichotomy with time and research in the archives.

Below is a picture of the edge of the seat of this chair, clearly showing the impressed name of W ROWE. There are two impressions on this side, one of which is upside down; there is one on the other edge the right way up. It is more like a tool stamp - unlike the larger ones that the Lincolnshire chairmakers used. To date this is the only stamped chair that has been recorded by this maker.

W Rowe stamp

This chair appears at NE 114 on page 135 of Dr B D Cotton's The English Regional Chair (1990).  I did not take these pictures as this chair has been in the USA for the last 40 years. Some time ago while I was talking chairs with Bill Cotton, I expressed a desire to see this chair. That's when Bill told me that it had been taken overseas many years ago. He did remember that a dealer in Burford sold it and gave me his name; I used the internet to try and track him down but with no success, so I just contacted the antique dealers in Burford until I found one who knew where the original dealer was and gave me his contact details.  I tracked this gentleman down in his retirement home on the South Coast and he remembered selling the chair to an American serviceman and as luck would have it he still had some contact details for him. So after some more hunting around on the internet I eventually made contact with the owner of this chair. He was very pleased to hear of my interest in it and after a short while some photographs that his grand daughter had taken arrived as email attachments - and what a wonderful revelation they were! Many thanks to Del Francis in California for allowing me to use these pictures of his chair; they make a very exciting contribution to the understanding of the vernacular chair making in Eastern England.

© William Sergeant 2014 and 2020