Within the family group of turners' chairs, the straight-back four-legged examples are by far the most numerous and long-lived, stretching over a period from the Middle Ages to the present day. By c.1600, though, a consistent form had developed with both elaborate and simpler versions, the latter exemplified here. This lot, however, seems unusual in having square section, rather than turned, rear posts.
For a detailed discussion of these chairs, see Victor Chinnery Oak Furniture, The British Tradition, Woodbridge, 1979, p. 87-104