The Restoration Team could not find a definition for the word patrin and so they assumed that Dinsmore’s spelling reflected the period’s typical lack of standardization.  When the team instead searched for words that were similar to patrin, they came across two words that appeared to fit.  Both paten, which is a small circular plate used to hold the bread during a Christian mass, and patten, an often round, iron overshoe that was used to elevate the wearer out of the mud and filth that often flooded streets in the 18th and early 19th centuries, appeared to to be similar.  If Dinsmore actually meant either paten or patten, it would appear that he was referring to a round ornament that was meant to be placed on the chair rail.