Sedan Chair

Sedan Chair, a covered chair for carrying a single person, with a pole on each side. It is borne by two men: one in front of the chair and the other behind it. The vehicle is said to have been invented at Sedan in N.E. France. It made its appearance in England in 1581, and was used by the Duke of Buckingham in the reign of James 1. In 1634 Sir Sanders Duncombe obtained a patent for letting out these "covered chairs" in the cities of London and Westminster. Sedan chairs were much used by fashionable ladies and gentlemen in the 18th century.