Spencer, Henry, Lambs Conduit Passage, near Red Lion Sq., Holborn, London, chairmaker (1722–28). In October 1722 took out insurance cover of £160 on goods kept in his dwelling house, shop and yard. A chairmaker by the name of Spencer appears in the records of Chicheley Hall, Bucks, in 1722 and Holkham Hall, 1728, and may be this maker. In July 1722 he was paid £27 by Sir John Chester in connection with Chicheley and in December 1724 another £8 14s for eight chairs at 18s each and two stools at 15s each. It has been suggested that the important suite of seating furniture now at Montacute, Som. was the subject of these payments made to Spencer but it has been pointed out that another suite provided by a Mr Hodson for the Great Parlour at Chicheley and costing £34 is more likely to be the one involved. Spencer also supplied Holkham Hall, Norfolk with thirteen Windsor chairs in 1728 at a cost of £3 9s 9d and two wheel chairs at £4 8s. These items were listed in the garden expenses. It is not clear that the Chicheley and Holkham items were produced by the same maker. Those for Holkham fit more closely the low insurance cover of the maker in Lambs Conduit Passage. Another possible maker is Samuel Spender of ‘The Golden Chair’, Aldermanbury. He took out insurance cover of £500 on his goods and merchandise in March 1725, and is named in the insurance records as Samuel Spencer. His trade card, however, clearly gives his surname as Spender. [GL, Sun MS vol. 14, ref. 26533; V&A archives; C. Life, 27 February 1975, p. 500; Bucks. RO, Chicheley papers, D/C/2/3 (ii), D/C/2/36 (iii)]