Lincolnshire bow back stick back Windsor armchair, 8 long sticks, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring and cove turned front legs with lower ring, H stretcher with 6 round bobbins, stamped MARSH, from the workshop of MARSH SLEAFORD

Lincolnshire bow back stick back Windsor armchair, 8 long sticks, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring and cove turned front legs with lower ring, H stretcher with 6 round bobbins, stamped MARSH, from workshop of MARSH SLEAFORD; front view

This chair turned up in a south Lincolnshire auction in October 2020: even were it not stamped 'MARSH', there are several features which point to Thomas Marsh and his son James. That linked post, which has more biographical details about Thomas (1777 or 1779-1844) and James (1803 - 1870) shows a stamped side chair with the 6 bobbin stretcher. Marsh is the only workshop stamp that has been found with such a stretcher.

Lincolnshire bow back stick back Windsor armchair, 8 long sticks, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring and cove turned front legs with lower ring, H stretcher with 6 round bobbins, stamped MARSH, from workshop of MARSH SLEAFORD; 3/4 view

Lincolnshire bow back stick back Windsor armchair, 8 long sticks, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring and cove turned front legs with lower ring, H stretcher with 6 round bobbins, stamped MARSH, from workshop of MARSH SLEAFORD; side view

The small chamfer at the end of the terminals of the arm bow is another characteristic Marsh workshop feature. The circular scribe line just visible on the side stretchers to mark the junction point with the cross stretchers is another Marsh workshop habit.

Lincolnshire bow back stick back Windsor armchair, 8 long sticks, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring and cove turned front legs with lower ring, H stretcher with 6 round bobbins, stamped MARSH, from workshop of MARSH SLEAFORD; rear view

Another Marsh workshop practice was to pin some of the long sticks with small square wooden pins from the rear of the bows: this chair has two such pins to secure 2nd and 7th long sticks to the back bow, 3 sets of holes for two more, missing the pins, on the 3rd and 6th long sticks (1st at the top in the back bow, 2nd in the arm bow and 3rd in the seat), two more, still with pins, to secure the back bow to the arm bow, and finally 4 more holes, two in the back bow and two in the seat, which appear to have been drilled in the wrong place as they do not align with any of the long sticks, unlike their companions. A momentary lapse of concentration on a Friday afternoon, perhaps.

Lincolnshire bow back stick back Windsor armchair, 8 long sticks, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring and cove turned front legs with lower ring, H stretcher with 6 round bobbins, stamped MARSH, from workshop of MARSH SLEAFORD; view from above

Lincolnshire bow back stick back Windsor armchair, 8 long sticks, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring and cove turned front legs with lower ring, H stretcher with 6 round bobbins, stamped MARSH, from workshop of MARSH SLEAFORD; detail of arm turning

Lincolnshire bow back stick back Windsor armchair, 8 long sticks, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring and cove turned front legs with lower ring, H stretcher with 6 round bobbins, stamped MARSH, from workshop of MARSH SLEAFORD; view from below with detail of leg turnings and stretchers

 

Lincolnshire bow back stick back Windsor armchair, 8 long sticks, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring and cove turned front legs with lower ring, H stretcher with 6 round bobbins, stamped MARSH, from workshop of MARSH SLEAFORD; detail of stamp.

The top part of each letter of 'MARSH' is just visible at the back of the seat. There does not appear to be any sign of the 'SLEAFORD' stamp that appears on some Marsh chairs. A pair of side chairs, one of which was exhibited at the exhibition in Alford in 2019 has 'MARSH' stamped on one seat and 'SLEAFORD' on the other. All parts of this chair are of ash.

© Julian Parker 2021

Lincolnshire bow back spindle back armchair stamped WILSON GRANTHAM, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts

Lincolnshire bow back spindle back armchair stamped Wilson Grantham, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts, 3/4 view

Lincolnshire bow back spindle back armchair stamped Wilson Grantham, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts, view from above

Lincolnshire bow back spindle back armchair stamped Wilson Grantham, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts, detail of arm turning 

Lincolnshire bow back spindle back armchair stamped Wilson Grantham, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts, side view

Lincolnshire bow back spindle back armchair stamped Wilson Grantham, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts, rear view

Lincolnshire bow back spindle back armchair stamped Wilson Grantham, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts, stamp

For a short piece about John Wilson (1779 - 1837) see this post.

© Julian Parker 2021

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

Lincolnshire low bow back Windsor armchair, probably Hubbard Grantham, with 5-piercing fleur de lys and teardrop piercing splat, 6 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarms, straight seat edges, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher WS 201

Lincolnshire low bow back Windsor armchair, probably Hubbard Grantham, with 5-piercing fleur de lys and teardrop piercing splat, 6 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarms, straight seat edges, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher WS 201

The low profile of the back bow gives this chair a distinctive squat appearance, like no other Lincolnshire chair that I can think of. I knew that they existed as a signed pair are illustrated in published works on vernacular furniture but I had been waiting for years for one to appear on the open market so that I could add it to my collection. It was offered for sale in a Shropshire sale room, with a good description and photos, so I bid with confidence and secured its purchase. After a couple of months the chair was delivered to my home and I was delighted with the overall condition. The seat is of elm, while all other components are made from yew wood with the back legs of ash; a typical combination that is so often found in Lincolnshire best chairs. It has one feature that is so rare on chairs made in the county, that is the incised scratch mark around the edge of the back bow.

This chair is not stamped by the workshop owner but the two that appear in Dr B D Cotton's The English Regional Chair (1990) at figures NE24 and NE25 on p. 118 were stamped clearly HUBBARD GRANTHAM, so I am in no doubt that this chair was produced in the workshop of Richard Hubbard of Little Gonerby about 1807 - 1820.

© William Sergeant 2019

Lincolnshire hoop back Windsor side chair, Marsh of Sleaford, with 7 long spindles, bell-shaped seat, ring and cove front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts WS 106

Lincolnshire hoop back Windsor side chair, Marsh of Sleaford, with 7 long spindles, bell-shaped seat, ring and cove front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts WS 106

See chair WS 92 - I just knew that I would find one of these chairs with a stamp of the maker on it . This one turned up on eBay along with 3 other chairs at the very northern edge of the county of Lincolnshire. I won the bidding and was delighted to find on collection that this one was clearly stamped MARSH SLEAFORD. A bit of polishing restored this fine chair to its full glory.

© William Sergeant 2018 and 2020

Lincolnshire hoop back Windsor side chair, probably by Marsh of Sleaford, with 7 long spindles, bell-shaped seat, ring and cove front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts WS 92

Lincolnshire hoop back Windsor side chair, probably by Marsh of Sleaford, with 7 long spindles, bell-shaped seat, ring and cove front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts WS 92

This chair was consigned to a regular house clearance sale in Grantham and didn't even get considered for the better antiques sale.  Although there is no maker's stamp to be found on it, there are however tell-tale signs all over it which makes me believe that it was made by Thomas or James Marsh in Sleaford. There are a whole load of features that they used: darts at the either end of the cross stretcher; scratch markers on the side stretchers for the drilling of holes; thicker front leg ; thicker seats which sweep out at the front; carefully selected wood for the legs with no wild grain; tiny square sprigs driven into the back of the bow to secure the middle and two outside back spindles and finally the distance between the upper and lower rings on the front legs are always identical. Everything about their chairs was just that bit better than anything produced in the neighbouring town of Grantham. PS: after a recent visit from Bill Cotton, I can confirm what I had thought for a while: that the seats of Marsh chairs are usually made out of ash wood, as is the case here.

© William Sergeant 2018 and 2020

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor spindle back armchair stamped AMOS GRANTHAM, with 9 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts WS 190 & WS 189

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor spindle back armchair stamped AMOS GRANTHAM, with 9 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings, with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts WS 190

This is a typical early Lincolnshire windsor armchair. Plain back legs with the front ones having the design of a thin ring above an exaggerated shallow cove, an all-spindle back support and curved underarm supports. This one has an ash seat with yew for the other components. I believe that this is the very essence of a chair that was made in the first period of Windsor chairmaking in the county, namely 1800-1812. 

The name stamp on the edge of the seat is AMOS GRANTHAM, so we know exactly in whose workshop it was made. It came from a house just outside Newark and it had been in the family for many years. It was in a slightly distressed state when I brought it at auction but I got a restorer to make it usable again.

John Amos was a wheelwright and as such ran a business for the first 15 years of his working life making wagons and carts for farmers and merchants as well as servicing ones that were already in use. It was not until 1809 that the first advert by him was posted in the paper searching for journeymen chairmakers. All of the chairs that I have seen from his workshop are of the second period type, which I believe started to be produced in about 1812 but I was not surprised to seen this design by him. This leads me to think that this chair was probably made in the first 3 years of his manufacture, namely 1809-1812.

Bench holdfast marks on medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor spindle back armchair WS 190 stamped AMOS GRANTHAM WS 189

This picture shows part of the underside of the armbow of this AMOS chair. You can see quite clearly the small areas of cross-hatching that are impressed into the surface of the wood. This was caused by bench holdfasts. These have been used by woodworkers since ancient times and are used, as their name suggests, to hold a piece of wood firmly to the workbench. They are the shape of a swan's neck, with the neck part slipped down a hole in the bench and the crooked head part tapped with a mallet to spread the bend and hold the wood secure. They can easily be released with a sideways tap. 

For the holdfast to grip the wood better, there is cross-hatching filed into the end. This is what has left the marks above. The length of yew wood would be soften in the steam box and the placed against the profile form that it is to be moulded around and once bent, it is held firmly in place while it cools by a series of holdfasts. 

© William Sergeant 2017 and 2020

Thomas Simpson, Boston stamped high bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair with 5-piercing fleur de lys upper splat, double pierced lower splat, crook underarm supports, 2 x 3 long spindles, 2 x 3 underarm spindles, ring and cove front leg turnings & plain back legs, crinoline stretcher WS 207

Thomas Simpson, Boston stamped high bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair with 5-piercing fleur de lys upper splat, double pierced lower splat, crook underarm supports, 2 x 3 long spindles, 2 x 3 underarm spindles, ring and cove front leg turnings with lower ring & plain back legs, crinoline stretcher WS 207

Another chair from the collection of James Drake, this time a yew wood chair with reduced legs, but stamped clearly on the edge of the seat: T SIMPSON & Co BOSTON. There is another Simpson Windsor armchair at WS 123, and if you compare the back splat of both, I think that you would agree with me that both were made from the same master pattern, with the main difference being that this chair has a crinoline stretcher whereas WS 123 has an H stretcher with darts.

© William Sergeant 2020

Lincolnshire medium bow back Windsor armchair, stamped I * TAYLOR GRANTHAM with 9 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarms, bell-shaped seat, ring and cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher WS 211

Lincolnshire medium bow back Windsor armchair, stamped I * TAYLOR GRANTHAM with 9 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarms, bell-shaped seat, ring and cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher WS 211

Regular students of Lincolnshire Windsor chairs will have seen the image of this chair before. It is simply remarkable. It appears on p. 138 of Thomas Crispin's The English Windsor Chair (1992) and again in Dr B D Cotton's The English Regional Chair (1990) at figure NE12 on p. 113. Both books show the name stamp of I*TAYLOR which relates to the eldest son of Roger and Sophia Taylor, one John Taylor. Those of you who have seen my lecture at Conway Hall on Youtube will know that he made chairs for only three years, from February 1808 until January 1811, after which he became a mail coach guard for 31 years. The only other recorded I*TAYLOR stamped chair passed through the now closed auction room of Neale's of Nottingham in 2002. 

Detail of upper rear of seat of Lincolnshire medium bow back Windsor armchair, stamped I * TAYLOR GRANTHAM

WS 204 on the left, WS 211 on the right

You may also wish to compare this chair to yesterday's post WS 204, which has no makers mark, but I am sure both were made by the same hand.

The extraordinary fact is that this chair appeared on eBay recently and was spotted by a fellow enthusiast (one Julian Parker) who kindly notified me. The young lady in London selling the chair had seen the name stamp but had been unable to decipher the name. She had acquired the chair off Greenwich market at least 15 years before, besides that there was no other provenance.

© William Sergeant and Julian Parker 2020

Lincolnshire medium bow back Windsor armchair, with 9 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarms, bell-shaped seat, ring and cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher WS 204

Lincolnshire medium bow back Windsor armchair, with 9 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarms, bell-shaped seat, ring and cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher WS 204

My attention was drawn to this chair, that was advertised on Instagram, by my fellow furniture enthusiast Tim Garland. From the image by the vendor, it was obvious that it was in poor condition with some serious structural issues - also it was said to be possibly from Welsh borders. I recognised it as a typical early spindle back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair, dating from about 1815. There was no indication whether it was marked by the workshop owner. After having completing the deal, the chair duly arrived and the breakages were even worse than I had initially thought, but no matter, as it was soon in the capable hands of Tim. He repaired and restored the chair and the result can be seen in the picture above. He made a splendid job, and we both felt a deep sense of satisfaction of having rescued a valuable historical piece of vernacular furniture.

The maker of this chair remained a mystery to me, but as you may have heard me say before, the maker always leaves his finger prints all over his chairs, if you just know where to look. The give away was the incised ring around the back legs to indicate where the hole needed to be drilled to take the side stretcher. The only signed chairs, that have this feature, are those that are signed TAYLORS, so those made in the workshop of William Taylor. There remains the possibility that those made in his brother's workshop (John), could have the same implicit mark but as I had never handled one, and am most unlikely ever to find one, so the final identity of the marker remains uncertain.

© William Sergeant 2019

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 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

Medium bow back Windsor armchair stamped Camm Grantham, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring and cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher WS 95

Medium bow back Windsor armchair stamped Camm Grantham, with 8 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, ring and cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher WS 95

In the collection of Steven Voyt. Purchased in Grantham, this bow back spindle back Windsor armchair  probably has never travelled far, as it was made in Grantham. Two more chairs made by Camm can be seen at WS 12 and WS 13, the underarm supports and legs of which could be swapped with this chair and no one would spot the difference, which reinforces the fact that individual makers had their own design features and reproduced them over and over again.

© 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

Lincolnshire hoop back Windsor side chair stamped Camm Grantham with 6 long spindles, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher WS 99 & WS 98

Lincolnshire hoop back Windsor side chair stamped Camm Grantham with 6 long spindles, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher WS 99

Lincolnshire hoop back Windsor side chair stamped Camm Grantham  WS 98

This is a exquisitely charming Grantham side chair of such dainty proportions. The way I got this chair really underlines how generous some people are: read on. This chair was advertised as a child's chair signed by CAMM by an auction house in Derbyshire.  I initially missed it in the net but a good friend kindly emailed me with the details. I realised that it was an previously unrecorded spindle back side chair from Thomas Camm of Grantham and would fit nicely in my collection. 

However, when the day came for the auction, the weather forecast was not good and even though I set off for the Peak District it soon became obvious that, with the snow, it was not sensible to carry on and I reluctantly turned back. When I got home it had been sold and for not very much: you can imagine my disappointment! 

At the beginning of the following week I contacted the auctioneers and asked then to pass my details on to the purchaser as I wished to at least try and record this chair for the benefit of all.  Just imagine my surprise when later in the day I got a phone call from Tracey in Burton saying that she had the chair and had viewed my website and was happy for me to collect it. What a treasure: both the chair and Tracey ! I travelled to Burton the following week and had pleasure of meeting Tracey.  I also took Dr B D Cotton's The English Regional Chair (1990) along and was able to identify the maker of a yew Windsor chair she also had. The little Camm chair exceeded all expectation and had obviously come from a very good home: I settled up and returned home really happy.

Many thanks to Euan for flagging up this chair; many thanks to Hansons Auctioneers for passing along my details and finally my heart felt appreciation to Tracey for her kindness. I don't usually include makers stamps on this site (so when I say a chair is signed you will just have to trust me that it is) but this is slightly unusual.  All the chairs that I have seen signed by Camm have the word Grantham below. There are several examples in The English Regional Chair (1990). This one is different in that the words are side by side which shows that he had one stamp for each word. OK, I know it's not an earth-shattering revelation but it all adds to the knowledge of their workshop practice.

© William Sergeant 2013 and 2020

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped Brand Marsh Sleaford with 9 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarm supports, bell-shaped seat, ring and cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher WS 164 & WS 163

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped Brand Marsh Sleaford with 9 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarm supports, bell-shaped seat, ring and cove turned front legs with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher WS 164 

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped Brand Marsh Sleaford  WS 163

Many thanks to Robert Williams, a fellow collector of vernacular furniture, for alerting me to the sale of this chair in Bury St. Edmunds. I had missed the pre-auction advertisement and if it not had been for the diligence of Robert this chair could have slipped back into oblivion for ever! What makes this chair so special is that it is stamped BRAND MARSH SLEAFORD, which was fortunately mentioned in the auction notes on this lot. The Sleaford chairmakers John Brand and Thomas Marsh are well known, with chairs stamped by them individually having been recorded, but this is the very first time that one has turned up with both names, indicating that they worked together in partnership for a while.  

Both appear in Pigot's Directory for 1822, John Brand as 'turner & chair maker', Thos. Marsh as 'Windsor chair maker'. Marsh died in April 1844 aged 67 and Brand on 26 March 1850 'advanced in years', according to the Stamford Mercury.  John Brand is shown in the 1841 census as then aged 55, although ages in that census are often not accurate. He seems to have been baptised in 1785 or 1786 and was thus a handful of years younger than Thomas Marsh.

I got in touch with the auction house after the sale and asked for my details to be passed on to the purchaser. In due course we made contact and I travelled to Suffolk to meet the new owner, who now appreciates the significance of this chair and will be a good custodian. I set up an improvised photographic studio in the kitchen and the result can seen above.

Description: thick elm seat with chamfered under-edges grain running from front to back. Bell shaped in plan. Cherry spindles, 8 short and 9 long, one of which is broken. Very delicate bent underarm supports secured by screw underneath. Yew wood front legs with ring and cove decoration. Plain back legs, one of yew and one with an inappropriate later replacement. Yew crinoline stretcher with two ash short connecting stretchers to back legs. There are no securing pins in the top of the back bow unlike Marsh signed chairs were they are always present. 4 pins in the armbow, two to secure the backbow and two to secure the frontmost spindles. Seat dimensions : 19 5/8 by 15 3/16 inches. A fine example of an early Lincolnshire Windsor chair.

© William Sergeant 2015 and Julian Parker 2020

Lincolnshire high back bow back Windsor armchair by Amos Grantham with 5-piercing fleur de lys upper splat with lower diamond, double pierced lower splat, 6 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with1 lower ring, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher WS 132

Lincolnshire high back bow back Windsor armchair by Amos Grantham with 5-piercing fleur de lys upper splat with lower diamond piercing, double pierced lower splat, 6 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarms, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with1 lower ring, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher WS 132

This superbly photographed chair is in the collection of Tom Wells and he kindly sent this picture and gave me permission to reproduce it here.

Please note that this chair has the maker's name stamped on the seat edge which is not very common amongst for these Grantham makers who tend to favour the upper rear of the seat in the centre just below the lower splat.

© Tom Wells and William Sergeant 2013 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

3 x Lincolnshire Windsor side chairs by Marsh of Sleaford, with curved crest rail with turned stiles and 5 long spindles x 1, hoop back x 2 with 7 & 6 long spindles, 1 straight sided and 2 bell-shaped seats, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts x 2 H stretcher with 6 bobbin turning x 1 WS 116

3 x Lincolnshire Windsor side chairs by Marsh of Sleaford, with curved crest rail with turned stiles and 5 long spindles x 1, hoop back x 2 with 7 & 6 long spindles, 1 straight sided and 2 bell-shaped seats, ring and cove front leg turnings with 1 lower ring, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts x 2 H stretcher with 6 bobbin turning x 1 WS 116

All three chairs bear the maker's stamp on the rear of the upper seat: MARSH SLEAFORD. The middle chair is the same as WS 115. These chairs illustrate the beautiful balanced designs of side chairs that these father and son chair turners made. The earliest reference to Thomas Marsh being in Sleaford is 1810 (when his daughter Anne was baptised there) and his son James was still there making chairs in 1870 - a span of at least 60 years!

Right, I hope you are sitting comfortably as what you are about to read has never been published before: it's about Thomas Marsh. He was baptised in Bilborough, Nottinghamshire on 20th August 1779* to parents Hugh and Helen Marsh. I believe he had an older brother Joseph, who was baptised in Strelley, Notts in 1776 and another older brother Hugh who was baptised in 1771 at St. Michael's, Derby. He went on to marry in St Wulfram's, Grantham (which was quite usual for people from Little Gonerby) on 26th July 1802. His bride on that day was Helen Thompson who had been born at Londonthorpe (a tiny village about a mile northeast of Grantham) and on their marriage register they were both noted as living in Little Gonerby. At the time of their wedding Thomas was 22 and Helen 21. Their wedding must have been a slightly sad affair as his mother-in-law had died just the month before and had been buried in Grantham (as she had been a resident of Little Gonerby) on the 21st June 1802. Their union was soon blessed with a child as on 19th August 1803 James was baptised in St. Marys, Nottingham. The next reference that I found for them was at Little Gonerby again when the baptism of their daughter Jane was recorded on the 21st Feb 1808. At some stage they moved to Sleaford as they had a daughter Ann baptised on 11th July 1810 at Quarrington (which is often referred to as Old Sleaford).

This has left me wondering what he was doing living in Little Gonerby, marrying a local girl and then going back to Nottingham. It could be explained if he had gone to do an apprenticeship with a Master as there is a history of chairmakers there. He met and fell in love with Helen but as is usual, he was not allowed to marry until he had finished his time, and then went back to his former home with his new bride. The intrigue does not stop there as the marriage was witnessed by Richard Hubbard and his wife Elizabeth. Richard Hubbard was a chair maker in Grantham - it would be no great surprise if he turned out to have been Thomas Marsh's Master.

Thomas appears to have been a chair maker all his life, eventually being buried at Sleaford on 25th April 1844 at the age of 67.** James was died in September 1870.

Here is a short video on Marsh chairs.

© William Sergeant 2013 and 2020

* and ** This would indicate that he was born in 1777: the baptism at Bilborough in August 1779 is the only Thomas Marsh baptised in the vicinity of Nottingham at around the relevant time.