George Thomas Pendrith was a Toronto-based machinist who manufactured wood and metal-spinning lathes, operating as G. T. Pendrith. By 1906 the Pendrith Machinery Co. was making buffing and polishing lathes plus a line of baking machinery. In 1902 George's son, John G. Pendrith, joined the business and then left in 1909 to establish John G. Pendrith Co., which took over the baking machinery line. By the beginning of 1919 George was apparently in ill health as his wife, Lina J. Pendrith (née Balmer), was running Pendrith Machinery Co.; at that time Pendrith Machinery Co., Ltd. was incorporated. In 1921 the Pendrith Machinery Co., Ltd. merged with John G. Pendrick Co., with the merged business maintaining the Pendrith Machinery Co., Ltd., and with John G. Pendrick as president and general manager. By 1966 the company was still in business, though John had retired. We can find no data on the company past 1966 and it seems that the company was wound down around that time.

Information Sources

• 1885—History of Toronto and County of York, Ontario, by C. P. Mulvany, G. M. Adam and C. B. Robinson, 1885, has a biography of one J. Balmer, whose "second daughter Lina is married to G. T. Pendrith, machinist, of Toronto."
• 1889, 1892—The Annual Report of the Public School Board of the City of Toronto for the Year Ending, December 31, 1889 mentions G. T. Pendrith because he was paid $3.50 for repairing the bell at the Sackville Street School. In 1892 he was paid $5 for the same task.
• 1895—Ride to Modernity: The Bicycle in Canada, 1869-1900, by G. B. Norcliffe, 2001, mentions G. T. Pendrith as manufacturing "Sun" brand bicycles in Toronto by 1895.
• 1896—Robertson's Landmarks of Toronto, edited by J. Ross Robertson, 1896, mentions a fire on November 29, 1889, that damaged the Truth building on the south side of Adelaide just west of Bay street. One of the occupants was G. T. Pendrith, machinist.
• 1896—The Sessional Papers of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario for 1897 has a report from the Inspector of Factories, who mentions the following incident.

  Feb. 9, G. T. Pendrith's bicycle works. A bicycle tube, filled with rather damp sand, plugged at the ends, when heated and soft, blew out a hole, causing hot sand to fly in the workman’s face. He was not seriously injured, being idle but three days.

• 1909—The Sessional Papers of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario for 1909 mentions that Pendrith Machine Co. was paid $300 for providing a dough mixer to the Toronto Hospital for the Insane.
• 1914—The Canadian Almanac and Miscellaneous Directory for the Year 1914 lists officers of various Masonic lodges, including Geo. T. Pendrith, Toronto.
• 1919—The 1919-01-16 Iron Age has the following news item.

  The Pendrith Machinery Co., Ltd., Toronto, has been incorporated with a capital stock of $40,000 by George T. and Thomas G. Pendrith, Chadwick Mather and others to take over the business now carried on by Lina J. Pendrith, under the name of Pendrith Machinery Co.

• 1921—The 1921-10-26 issue of Northwestern Miller lists trade show exhibitors, including "John G. Pendrith Co., Toronto, bakers' machinery and supplies".
• 1922—Ancestry.com lists a death record for George Thomas Pendrick: "Died at age 63 on Saturday, July 22, 1922 in York, Ontario."
• 1957—An issue of Industrial Canada lists Pendrith Machinery Co., Ltd., Toronto 2, Ont., as makers of "Machinery, mixing, Bakers' and Industrial".
• 1966—Canadian Who's Who, 1966 edition, "PENDRITH, John Garnet; manufacturer; b. Toronto, Ont. 22 July 1885; s. George Thomas and Lina Jane (Balmer) P.; e. Pub. and High Schs., Toronto; m. Bertha Elizabeth, d. Frank Albert Hewson, 14 Sept. 1909: children: John Hewson, Charles Dane, Paul Balmer, Carol Suzanne; joined Pendrith Machinery Co. 1902-09; estbd. John G. Pendrith Co. 1909 which he merged with Pendrith Machinery Co. Ltd., 1921 of which was Pres. and Gen. Mgr. till retired from executive direction; Conservative; Anglican; recreations; gardening, chess; Club: Albany; Home: 7 Castle Frank Drive, Toronto, Ont.; Office: 775 King St. W., Toronto, Ont."