Rabone Chesterman
Rabone Chesterman, maker of spirit levels and rules, of Whitmore St, Birmingham
1963 John Rabone and Sons, of Birmingham, merged with James Chesterman and Co, toolmakers of Sheffield, and the name was changed to Rabone Chesterman.
1970 Acquired another tool maker, Fry's (London). Name changed to RCF Holdings.[1]
1971 Acquired Parry and Bott of Birmingham, hand tool maker[2]
1981 Bardsey Group acquired RCF Holdings; merged with its hand tool distributor subsidiary[3]
1984 A new factory was opened at Summer Hill, Birmingham.
1986 Acquired the assets of the Dean Tape Measures division from Howard Wall; Dean was the main British maker of non-metallic tape (measures) for the haberhashery trade[4]
1987 Within Bardsey, Rabone Chesterman made tools and RCF Tools distributed them[5]
1989 Bardsey sold the company to US tools company Stanley[6] [7]
1989 Beckenham Group acquired Bardsey Group[8]
2008 Rabone Chesterman business was still undertaken at Hockley Abbey, Birmingham.