"...One category that existed in relatively large numbers was the chest, and this is the form represented by the earliest examples. Whether there was a distinction between a chest and a coffer is now difficult to determine, and the terms often seem to have been interchangeable. This was probably also the case in English and French, although ‘chest’ was often used for pieces with a flat lid raised on legs, with ‘coffer’ used for 
travelling boxes having a domed lid and flat base. Required for the storage and protection of a range of articles including coins and valuables, textiles, metalware, documents, books, weapons and grain, some were large and difficult to move, and others light and transportable, with most surviving examples in the former category ..."
travelling boxes having a domed lid and flat base. Required for the storage and protection of a range of articles including coins and valuables, textiles, metalware, documents, books, weapons and grain, some were large and difficult to move, and others light and transportable, with most surviving examples in the former category ...".
Excerpt above taken from:
"Welsh Furniture 1250 -1950: A Cultural History of Craftsmanship and Design"
By Richard Bebb.
Published by Saer Books
