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 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

William Sergeant with some of his collection of Lincolnshire Windsor and rush-seated chairs

William Sergeant with some of his collection WS 107

I was invited by the Lincolnshire Wood Turners to give an exhibition at their annual display in August 2013 . The response was most encouragin . I had a lot of interest from members of the public: many were unaware that there was a tradition of chairmaking in Lincolnshire! Several asked if the chairs were for sale and seemed disappointed when I said that I only collected chairs for academic and educational purposes.

On the display behind William: suspended in mid-air: a Marsh bow back side chair and a Marsh comb back side chair; on the dais: a Shirley/Shadford workshop Caistor rocking chair, a Lincolnshire comb back and two cabriole leg Lincolnshire rush-seated ladder back chairs; on the floor: a Lincolnshire ladder back missing its rush seat and a Grantham bow back side chair.

© William Sergeant 2013 and Julian Parker 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 rush-seated ladder back child's chair compared to ladder back rocking chair and ladder back side chair

WS 120: L-R WS 108 child's rush-seated chair, WS 42 rush-seated rocking chair of small proportions, and WS 59 RH full-size ladder back with pad feet

The child's chair is already featured in WS 108 but is compared here to two other chairs; it has replacement rushing bars but is the most delightful example of Lincolnshire regional furniture. The rocking chair with the missing lower ladder is also pictured elsewhere at WS 42. The full-sized rush-seated side chair on the right, from WS 59 is the most common design that I come across. While there are obvious design features that unite these three chairs,  there is also the fact that all have iron pins driven through from the back to secure the ladders into the back upright. Besides that all have faint scratch rings on the back legs to aid in their construction. All this leads to me to have no doubt that they all came from the same workshop.

© William Sergeant 2020

Lincolnshire rush-seated ladder back rocking side chair, straight back uprights with tapering feet flattened top finials; 4 ladders (1 missing) with lower indented shaping; turned front legs with pad feet morticed into the seat frame, with rushing bars; front stretcher with turnery found in Lincolnshire, double side & rear stretchers

WS 42 Lincolnshire rush-seated ladder back rocking chair

WS 43 detail of front stretcher of Lincolnshire rush-seated ladder back rocking chair

Of surprisingly small proportions but not a child's chair, in excellent condition except that it's missing the lowest ladder (there should be 4 not 3 as shown) with original rushing and seat edge trims. The front stretcher is like no other I have seen but a cracking little bit of rural Lincolnshire furniture none the less.  The front stretcher turning may also be seen on WS 70.

©William Sergeant 2019

30

Arm chair on rockers of the same pattern as No. 31, assumed to have been made in Caistor by the combination of William Shirley and John Shadford. 1840-1890.