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, with 3-piercing fleur de lys and teardrop piercing splat, 4 long spindles, straight seat sides, ball and cove front leg turning with 1 lower ring and vase-shaped feet, 2 ring back leg turning with vase-shaped feet, H stretcher with darts WS 122

Lincolnshire hoop back Windsor side chair, with 3-piercing fleur de lys and teardrop piercing splat, 4 long spindles, straight seat sides, ball and cove front leg turning with 1 lower ring and vase-shaped feet, 2 ring back leg turning with vase-shaped feet, H stretcher with darts WS 122

This chair was part of the estate of an antique dealer that was offered for sale at the auction house in Grantham in early 2014. Description : the seat is made from ash as are the back legs. The front legs, stretchers and back support are all made from yew wood. All parts appear contemporary with each other and there is no sign of alteration.

There is no maker's stamp but much of this chair design would point to it having been made in Grantham. However the back legs are typical of what would be expected as front legs on a Grantham side chair; just compare with the front legs on WS 96, WS 49 & WS 17. The back hoop, spindles and splat are very similar to a chair which appears at figure NE41 on p. 121 of Der B D Cotton's The English Regional Chair (1990), which is stamped Taylor Grantham. The real enigma is the design of the front legs with their large ball and small cove turnery, the like of which can be seen on WS 72, a chair stamped by Shirley.

© William Sergeant 2018 and 2020

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Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped BRAND SLEAFORD with 9 long spindles, 8 short, turned underarms supports, bell-shaped seat, 2 ring and cove legs with 2 lower rings, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher, WS 192/199

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped BRAND SLEAFORD with 9 long spindles, 8 short, turned underarms supports, bell-shaped seat, 2 ring and cove legs with 2 lower rings, plain back legs, crinoline stretcher, WS 192/199

At first glance this is a typical Lincolnshire spindle back Windsor armchair. It is stamped BRAND SLEAFORD. The solid thick seat is fashioned from elm, the front legs are made out of cherry and the back legs turned from ash. Every other component is made from yew wood. What makes this chair slightly unusual is the turnery design to the front legs - the element of added decoration. There is a double ring turning above the cove and towards the base of the leg the turnery design is a double ring again. This striking feature is almost identical to the Shirley chair in WS 198.

Chairs by this maker are very rare. This one is the first that I have handled after many years of searching and I was pleased to add it to my collection. I had come across John Brand before - see WS 163 and 164. That chair with the seat stamped BRAND and MARSH proves that they must have been working together for a while.

The tradition of chair making in Sleaford has three names which standout and often appear in the directories and censuses, namely MARSH, BRAND and MASON. While many MARSH stamped chairs have been recorded, very few BRAND stamped chairs appear on the market and not one single chair stamped with MASON has ever been found.  After many years of searching, I was so pleased to find this BRAND chair advertised on the internet by a dealer in the south of the county. We agreed on a price and as he was about to visit the Newark Fair, he offered to deliver it as well.

© William Sergeant 2017 and 2020

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped SHIRLEY GRANTHAM with 3-piercing fleur de lys upper splat, teardrop pierced lower splat 6 long spindles, 8 short, turned underarms supports, bell-shaped seat, 2 ring and cove legs with 2 lower rings x 4, H stretcher with darts WS 198

Medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped SHIRLEY GRANTHAM with 3-piercing fleur de lys upper splat, teardrop pierced lower splat 6 long spindles, 8 short, turned underarms supports, bell-shaped seat, 2 ring and cove legs with 2 lower rings x 4, H stretcher with darts WS 198

Signed chairs by William Shirley senior are so rare that in all the years that I have been searching for Lincolnshire chairs, this is the very first signed armchair that I have ever come across.  When it appeared at the local sale room in Grantham in June 2017, I decided that it should join my collection. You may have noticed that a side chair already exists on this blog, WS 84, and I have another signed SHIRLEY side chair in my collection which is remarkably similar to it. Beside those three, very few have been recorded. There's an armchair in the Geffrye Museum and I know of a couple more. The side chair at figure NE 53 at p. 123 Dr B D Cotton's The English Regional Chair (1990) may be an example but is merely stamped SHIRLEY. This minimal number of stamped Shirley Grantham chairs strikes me as slightly odd as he was a chair maker for some considerable time in Grantham.

William learnt his trade in the workshop of the Taylors, first with John during the years 1808-1811 and then with his younger brother William during the years 1811-1815 after which he became Freeman of Grantham. He advertises in the Stamford Mercury in April 1818, seeking an apprentice and a dish turner. He describes himself as a Turner, Windsor and Fancy and Spinning wheel maker of Westgate Grantham. He places a similar advert in June 1819, giving his address as No. 11 Westgate Grantham. This is of significance as it is the same address as William Taylor used when he advertised in the same paper in Dec 1811, which would indicate that he had moved into the premises once occupied by his second master. He marries in 1816 and at the birth of his son Frederick in 1824, he is described as a chairmaker of Southwark. Also, at the birth of his son George in 1828 he is noted as being a chairmaker of Old Kent Road. He advertises twice in 1834 using the address of Westgate Grantham again.

The chair pictured above is typical of a good quality Lincolnshire chair with underarm support pattern that is used by so many makers. The interesting feature is the design motif for the front legs, it has an extra ring above the usual ring and cove decoration as well as an extra lower ring. I wonder if this a nod to the Victorian trait of incorporating more detail into their furniture and getting away from the classical lines of the Georgian period? The middle parts of the H stretcher are fatter than many Grantham examples.

The seat and the stamp may be admired below.

Fine elm seat of medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair stamped SHIRLEY GRANTHAM WS 198

 SHIRLEY GRANTHAM stamp on upper rear of seat of WS 198

© William Sergeant 2017

Lincolnshire Windsor bow back medium armchair stamped TAYLORS GRANTHAM with 3 piercing fleur de lys upper splat, teardrop pierced lower splat, 6 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarm supports, bell-shaped seat, with cut-and-shut Nottinghamshire 3 ring leg turnings with vase-shaped feet and crinoline stretcher WS 206

Lincolnshire Windsor bow back medium armchair stamped TAYLORS GRANTHAM with 3 piercing fleur de lys upper splat, teardrop pierced lower splat, 6 long spindles, 8 short, crook underarm supports, bell-shaped seat, with cut-and-shut Nottinghamshire 3 ring leg turnings with vase-shaped feet and crinoline stretcher WS 206

Thanks to former Regional Furniture Society member, James Drake, for allowing me to record and publish an image of this chair, stamped TAYLORS GRANTHAM. I would ask you to study the picture of this chair closely. It certainly took me by surprise: there is something clearly wrong with it. The legs, with the three ring turning motif are not something that I would associate with an early Lincolnshire Windsor armchair, and sure enough, on close inspection it soon became obvious that legs belong to another chair, probably from Nottinghamshire. There has been some serious damage to this chair as the underneath of the seat shows, while the legs are quite a different colour to the rest of the chair. It's a splendid example of a 'cut and shut' chair! However, I am sure the seat and every component above are by William Taylor's workshop in Grantham, as the name stamp would indicate.

© William Sergeant 2019

Lincolnshire hoop back Windsor side chair, stamped TAYLOR GRANTHAM, with 4 long spindles, splat with vase and teardrop piercing, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with lower ring, plain back legs and H stretcher WS 81

Lincolnshire hoop back Windsor side chair, stamped TAYLOR GRANTHAM, with 4 long spindles, splat with vase and teardrop piercing, straight seat sides, ring and cove front leg turnings with lower ring, plain back legs and H stretcher WS 81

A well-balanced Lincolnshire Windsor side chair from the collection of Brian Gray. This a good quality splat back side chair with a bold stamp of Taylor of Grantham on the upper rear of the seat. A beautifully crafted chair, elegantly designed and well made. Pre 1809.

© William Sergeant 2020

Lincolnshire medium bow back Windsor armchair stamped TAYLORS GRANTHAM with fleur de lys splat and 3 teardrop piercings with 6 long spindles, 8 short, turned underarm supports bell-shaped seat, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts WS 126

Lincolnshire medium bow back Windsor armchair with fleur de lys splat and 3 teardrop piercings with 6 long spindles, 8 short, turned underarm supports bell-shaped seat, ring and cove front leg turnings, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts WS 126

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 no 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 from the one that I had expected. TAYLORS GRANTHAM means that the chair was made in the workshop of William Taylor, whose remarkable 1813 advertisement in the Stamford Mercury is discussed here.

WS 127 - TAYLORS GRANTHAM stamp on WS 126

© William Sergeant 2014 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

Lincolnshire high back bow back Windsor armchair, with 3 piercing fleur de lys and teardrop pierced upper splat, teardrop pierced lower splat, 6 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, 2 ring front leg turning with vase feet, plain back legs with lower ring, H stretcher

Lincolnshire high back bow back Windsor armchair, with 3 piercing fleur de lys and teardrop pierced upper splat, teardrop pierced lower splat, 6 long spindles, 6 short, turned underarm supports, straight seat sides, 2 ring front leg turning with vase feet, plain back legs with lower ring, H stretcher WS 26

Although there is no maker's name stamped on this chair it is similar to other George Wilson chairs. This type are referred to as a high back bow back or hoop back Windsor: whereas one such as this chair by George Wilson is referred to as a low back bow back Windsor.

© William Sergeant 2012 and 2020

William Taylor, Grantham medium bow back Lincolnshire Windsor armchair, with 3-piercing fleur de lys above teardrop piercing, single pierced lower teardrop, bell seat, 6 long spindles, 8 short, turned underarm, ring & cove front leg turning, plain back legs, H stretcher with darts

On 25 June 1813 an intriguing advertisement appeared in the Lincolnshire, Rutland and Stamford Mercury:

© British Library Board

"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 the the very first indication of how a Grantham chair maker was able to show his chairs to the public. 

WS 167 Taylors Grantham 

When I first read this I assumed William Taylor was referring to the Stow village which is about 10 miles north of Lincoln but on further investigation I discovered a fascinating event much closer to Grantham. 

The village of Stow no longer exists but is marked by a plaque in a corner of a field about  one mile south of Threekingham, 8 miles south of Sleaford and ten miles east of Grantham. In the 18th & 19th centuries the grass area around Stow was turned into a small town as it had a licence for a annual market which was granted in the 13th century. The picture above shows part of the grass field (which has a preservation order on it) where this huge fair was held. On the sky line is the spire of Threekingham church . The chair in the picture is signed TAYLORS GRANTHAM and there is the intriguing possibility that this very chair was taken to this very spot over 200 years ago to be sold by William Taylor. Ponder this thought as well: would he have seen Thomas Marsh of Sleaford and Richard Hubbard of Grantham at the fair trying to sell their chairs as well? For more information on this fair please click on the following link. 

WS 167 Taylors Grantham with 2 friends, WS 123 T Simpson, Boston on the right and WS 29 Marsh of Sleaford on the left

William Taylor was baptised in Grantham in 1785. His father was Roger Taylor and it was his father who placed an advert in the Stamford Mercury dated 9 July 1800 wanting a journeyman Windsor chair maker. So William, the second son, was born into a family of chairmakers. It's slightly surprising that he then was apprenticed to a joiner in 1799 , when he was 14. His father Roger was buried in Grantham in 1801 but his wife Sophia continued to run the chairmaking business, advertising for journeymen and apprentices. 

The advertisement says that he had been selling Windsor chairs for several years prior to 1813, when William would have been 28 years old; however it's not clear if he was running his parents business. His claim of being the Original Windsor chairmaker (in the area) is of interest. He may well be using the fact that his father's business was probably the first to introduce Windsor chairmaking to Grantham.

Finally, William warns the public that only chairs marked with his name, TAYLOR'S , are made by him and implies that someone else is trying to sell very similar chairs on the back of his reputation. Well, I think I know who was trying to do this, but that will be another posting on this site.

© William Sergeant 2019