Great grandparents `Prayer Chairs`

These chairs were in our family for many years, but we were forbidden to ever sit on them....I did see something in a magazine years ago with identical chairs which were called prayer chairs and made in Canada I think about 1865. Now that all the family are gone, there is no one from whom I might discover any info...and would really like to be able to pinpoint their actual identity, origins, and age if there is anyone out there who knows. Of course someone added their own version of covering on some time long ago, but I do know no one ever did much praying on them. Perhaps someone can tell me something more accurately about the actual name and date of these chairs.