Webb, John

Dorney, Buckinghamshire; chair makers (fl. 1730-94)

John Webb (b. 1702 - d. 1794) was baptised in Church of St James the Less, Dorney, Buckinghamshire. He married Elizabeth Hunt in 1731 and they had nine children, all of whom were baptised in Dorney. In 1784 Webb was one of only five voters in Dorney in Burnham Hundred.

Two sons, Henry (1731-93) and Thomas (1743-75), followed their father into the business of chair making, whilst John & Elizabeth’s eldest daughter, Sarah, married John Dell, trade unknown, whose son, Jeremiah .  John Webb's will recorded him as a chairmaker and grandfather of Martha Webb (1756-1822), later the Webb of Webb & Bunce in Hammersmith, and her two chair making brothers, John II (1753-95) and Henry (1755-94).

John Webb I had a brother, Thomas, who was also a chair maker in Dorney according to the burial register of St James the Less on 5 January 1775. 

See Julian Parker article in Regional Furniture (2020) for Webb and Carter family trees. 

Sources: Parker, 'Windsor Chairs, Children's Carts, German Stools, Rustic Chairs, Summerhouses and Perambulator: The Webbs (and Bunce and Carter), Dells, Priors and Trotmans, Regional Furniture (2020).