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International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society

The purpose of the International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society is to foster the collecting of, and research into, sewing machines.

The Pendleton Mystery

As part of our article on The Fate of George Bradbury in 2003 we mentioned that the Board of Directors of Bradbury & Co Ltd had fallen out with George over a factory he had erected at Pendleton.

Apparently George held shares in the operation on behalf of his son who was under age. At that time we were unable to identify what the operation was that caused such a hiatus and possibly led to George leaving the company.

A few weeks ago we were trawling through a list of sewing machine factories in the Manchester area in 1876. There, on the list, was a company called the Pendleton Machine Company which had a factory at Pendleton manufacturing sewing machines using Bradbury and Lomax's patents.

So that gives us the right time frame, location and a link to George Bradbury. But the clincher has to be the Manager of the Pendleton Machine Company - none other than Charles Bradbury - Georges' son. It's no wonder the Board of Bradbury & Co Ltd were a tad upset.


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