J. Parkinson opened a shop in Bradford, Yorkshire in 1865. In 1884 Parkinson was making vises among other products and discovered that a former customer was no longer buying his vises because they had hired someone else to make copies of Parkinson's original "Handy Vice" design. In response, Parkinson designed a new vise and patented it; the key feature, which was reportedly suggested by his son, was the use of a buttress thread rather than the usual square-cut thread. The vise, which was sold as "Parkinson's Perfect Vise", would ultimately receive patents in Britain, USA, Canada, France, Germany and Belgium. The vise was a great success.

In 1892 Parkinson's son officially became a partner in the business, which became J. Parkinson & Son. A year later the business relocated from Bradford to Shipley, and within a couple of years they acquired the "Prince of Wales" works in Shipley, renaming them to the Canal Ironworks.

By 1900 Parkinson & Son also manufactured milling machines and would soon add engine lathes, gear cutting machinery, and boring machinery. In 1954, the company was acquired by Crofts (Engineers) Holdings Ltd.

Information Sources

• Page on J. Parkinson & Son in Grace’s Guide
• Page on Parkson milling machines in Tony Griffith's Lathe website.