I have plenty to go off of now and will try to get a hold of John Bonser via that posted phone number tomorrow.

It's funny I bought the workbench with the intent to restore and use it, I have been learning joinery(via Paul Sellers' Youtube channel) and I restore and resell old furniture. Little did I know I would be tracking it down to England!

Needless to say I won't be sanding it down and refinishing it now. I will post an update once I trace it's way to this side of the pond.

If any are interested I'll post pictures of it tomorrow.

Thanks again for the responses and information!

Bit of a struggle to find definite source of history on this famous English brand name, but these links are good. My recollections of the 1980s are that our factory's hand tools & cutters etc were all from the James Neill company, but they don't seem part of the Record story.

http://www.recordhandplanes.com/history.html
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Record_Tools
(The Graces Guide website can be very useful and interesting indeed when researching old British brand names and their trees).

These forum threads may interest/help you date it etc.
http://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/record-vice-history-t68453.html
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/record-vice-no-24-spot-the-fake.69347/
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?168557-Information-on-Vintage-Record-52-1-2-...

Interesting to see that some were being made in India in the 1980s, whether by licence or backstreet dodgy-copies I don't know. This was certainly when engineering was taking a big downturn here so maybe it was by licence and they were properly-built for Record while taking advantage of cheaper labour rates etc, and not like the fragile pirate ones that sometimes sell nowadays (which are not "made in England" despite the casting displaying as such - easy to cast cheap copies using a genuine original casting as a pattern of course). Reminds me of our metalwork classes at the Royal Forest Grammar, we made G clamps which unfortunately broke the moment they were tightened-up - largely cos the clamp G body was made of weak aluminium that we'd cast ourselves, a good learning exercise on several levels if nowt else ! (and cheaper for the school, as the broken clamps were melted-down for the next class..)

hope this is of interest, thanks for your enquiry !
atb Jeff

PS Please note I've been updating my earlier post abt Thomas, so you may like to revisit it to catch the additions.

GLOUCESTER DIVORCE COURT YESTERDAY

Thomas William Bonser, 36, Church-road, Cinderford against Ivy Evelyn Bonser, 115, Southstreet, Carr-lane, Wakefield, Yorks.; desertion.

I hadn't found that reference to John Bonser yet, I will follow that up.

Just some background, I live in the US, and I came across an old furniture makers workbench, it has a makers mark that reads "T.W. Bonsor The Workshop Church Street Cinderford, Glos." It has an old Record No. 52p vise that was sold circa 1950's and was manufactured in England. It's an awesome piece and I'm trying to track down it's history and how it ended up in Charleston, SC.

I believe that the workbench is at the least fifty years old and maybe as much as a hundred years(Obviously not:) Maybe 80 - 50 yrs), but that is just my judgement based on the construction method, appearance, fittings, and the vise (which admittedly could have been mounted at anytime after the 50s or 60s.

edit: revised the age to 80-50 yrs based on a 1911 birth and his testimony of building the gate in 1936.

Suspect this is the same man, from this site's PRs database ?
During wartime I doubt there would be much work or money in the joinery business (or even wood available for new products ?);

Record_ID: 1021911
Entry_Number: 86
Year: 1944
Month: Jul
Day: 22
Grooms_Surname: BONSER
Grooms_Forenames: Thomas William
Grooms_Age: 33
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: Collier
Grooms_Residence: 36 Church Road
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Bonser
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: Thomas
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Collier
Brides_Surname: PRICE
Brides_Forenames: Ivy Evelyn
Brides_Age: 26
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation:
Brides_Residence: 115 South St Carr Lane Haycroft
Brides_Fathers_Surname: Price
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: Herbert Edward
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Collier
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: both sign
Witness_1: R H Price
Witness_2: H E Price
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: Tom T Haines Vicar
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P85/1 IN 1/8
Page_Number: 43
Parish_Chapel: Cinderford St John
Soundex_Groom: B526
Soundex_Bride: P620

From FreeBMD, luckily he should sneak just inside the 1911 Census.
Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page
Births Mar 1911 (>99%)
Bonser Thomas W Westbury S. 6a 261

Glos BMD shows he is indeed part of the FURLEY line, and in fact is mentioned in Slowhands' post earlier up this thread;
Child Surname Child Forename Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
BONSER Thomas William FURLEY 1911 Forest of Dean Westbury on Severn, East Dean 18 495

FamilySearch has his death & hence birthdate;

Name Thomas William Bonser
Event Type Death Registration
Registration Quarter Apr-May-Jun
Registration Year 1989
Registration District Forest Of Dean
County Gloucestershire
Event Place Forest Of Dean, Gloucestershire, England
Birth Date (available after June quarter 1969) 19 Feb 1911
Volume 22
Page 1683

And the

1911 Census; East Dean, Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England

Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Thomas Bonser Head M 38 COAL MINER HEWER BELOW GROUND. Cinderford, Gloucestershire
Ellen Bonser Wife F 34 Cinderford, Gloucestershire
Elizabeth Bonser Daughter F 12 School. Cinderford, Gloucestershire
Robert Bonser Son M 10 Cinderford, Gloucestershire
Alice Bonser Daughter F 7 Cinderford, Gloucestershire
Sam Bonser Son M 4 Cinderford, Gloucestershire
Mary Bonser Daughter F 3 Cinderford, Gloucestershire
William Bonser Son M 0 Cinderford, Gloucestershire

FreeBMD suggests Thomas remarried in last quarter of 1949;

Surname First name(s) Mother/Spouse/Age District Vol Page
Marriages Dec 1949 (>99%)
Bonser Thomas W Thomas F.of Dean 7b 766
Thomas Kathleen A Bonser F.of Dean 7b 766

GlosBMD confirms this;

Groom Surname Groom Forename Bride Surname Bride Forename District Parish Building Year Register Entry
BONSER Thomas William THOMAS Kathleen Anne Forest of Dean Forest of Dean Register Office [Closed] 1949 16 61

I cannot find an obvious death for first wife Ivy (clearly because she hadn't, thanks to Mike's simultaneous post ref desertion).

Littledean Bench

During the trial of Denzil Sydney MEEK for the larceny of a garden gate,

……………A Cinderford carpenter and joiner, Thomas William Bonser, Church-road, said the gate was one he had made for Mrs. Morgan in 1936………………

PS that said, searching the net suggests its very recent indeed, so perhaps beyond the scope of this site ?
eg https://cinderford.cylex-uk.co.uk/company/t-w-bonser-16477209.html
Maybe contact a John Bonser ? wrt http://www.uk-local-search.co.uk/business/t%2Bw%2Bbonser/1558821/

I am researching a T. W. Bonser who owned a joinery business at 52 Church St. Cinderford, Gloucestershire known as The Workshop. I have been unable to unearth anything as I do not know what names the initials are for(Thomas W.?).

I chanced upon your post and I wonder if you have come across any information in your research.

This one is the one in the vicinity of Little Dean Hill / Dockham heading back down towards Littledean...

1901
Thomas Bonsor 1872 Littledean, Gloucestershire, England Head East Dean, Gloucestershire
Ellen Bonsor 1877 Littledean, Gloucestershire, England Wife East Dean, Gloucestershire
Annie Bonsor 1896 Glamshire, Wales Daughter East Dean, Gloucestershire
Elizabeth Bonsor 1898 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Daughter East Dean, Gloucestershire
Robert Bonsor 1900 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Son East Dean, Gloucestershire

1891
John Furley abt 1830 Littledean, Gloucestershire, England Head East Dean, Gloucestershire
Ann Furley abt 1833 Littledean, Gloucestershire, England Wife East Dean, Gloucestershire
Ellen Furley abt 1878 Reddings, Gloucestershire, England Daughter East Dean, Gloucestershire

and some contenders or cousins !

Alice Bonser 1904 Jan-Feb-Mar Westbury On Severn Gloucestershire
Doris Mary Bonser 1906 Jan-Feb-Mar Westbury On Severn Gloucestershire
Elizabeth M Bonser 1910 Oct-Nov-Dec Westbury On Severn Gloucestershire
Elsie May Bonser 1902 Apr-May-Jun Westbury On Severn Gloucestershire
Ethel Maud Bonser 1908 Apr-May-Jun Westbury On Severn Gloucestershire
Harold Thomas Bonser 1904 Apr-May-Jun Westbury On Severn Gloucestershire
Horace Francis R Bonser 1909 Jul-Aug-Sep Westbury On Severn Gloucestershire
Mary Bonser 1908 Jan-Feb-Mar Westbury On Severn Gloucestershire
Reginald George T Bonser 1904 Jul-Aug-Sep Westbury On Severn Gloucestershire
Royd William Bonser 1902 Jul-Aug-Sep Westbury On Severn Gloucestershire
Sam Bonser 1906 Oct-Nov-Dec Westbury On Severn Gloucestershire
Thomas W Bonser 1911 Jan-Feb-Mar Westbury On Severn Gloucestershire
William Thomas Bonser 1905 Jul-Aug-Sep Westbury On Severn Gloucestershire