Thomas Sinton
Thomas Sinton,
Thomas Sinton was born in Tamnaghmore House,
- David Arthur Sinton, of Stramore House, Gilford (1862-1919, d.s.p.)
- Dorothy Hesilridge Sinton (1863-1949, d.s.p.)
- Elizabeth Sinton (1865-1865)
- Thomas Greville Sinton, JP; lived at Laurelvale House, served as High Sheriff of Armagh (1930) and as a magistrate (1866-1940, d.s.p.)
- Alfred Henry Hesilridge Sinton, of Hill House, Laurelvale (1868-1932, d.s.p.)
- Frederick Buckby Sinton, of Banford House, Tullylish, Gilford (1870-1943)
- Jemima Sarah Isabella Sinton (1872-1952, m. Isaac van Abbe, a Dutchman)
Sinton died at his home, Laurelvale House (later the home of Michael Torrens-Spence), and was buried at Moyallon[3] Friends' Burial Ground, Gilford. His effects were valued, in 1887, at over £100,000. Sinton, through his brother John Sinton, was a great-uncle of the soldier and doctor John Alexander Sinton.
Linen factory
Sinton built the model village of Laurelvale (named due to the abundance of laurel bushes in the area), also known as Laurel Vale, to house workers at his large linen factory – Thomas Sinton & Co. The factory was started in the early 1850s and by the 1880s it employed around 700 workers, responsible for manufacturing very high-grade heavy linen. The company was responsible for almost all of the houses built in the village, especially those for family members and factory managers.
He also owned factories in
The Laurelvale factory closed in 1944 when it was acquired by the Ministry of Defence and used by the Hoffman company for the manufacture of ball bearings for tank turrets etc. In the 1970s it was damaged in a fire but was inhabited by a private family until the mid eighties. Both the house and the factory area have recently been cleared and replaced by a housing development. All that remains of Laurelvale House and the factory now is an old wall, which was part of the stable block.
The Tandragee factory was still in production, employing 200 people, until 1996.[4] There were then plans afoot to convert the mill, which remained the Sinton family's property, into a tourist and retail facility, with the hope of a £7–8 million investment.[5] Planning permission was granted for this, however, the building was put up for sale by Thomas (Tim) Sinton (the subject's great-grandson) in 2003.[6]
Further reading
- ISBN 978-1903688205.
References
- S2CID 153865764.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 July 2006. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "The Belfast Telegraph; "Tandragee to Get Mill Back in Action"". [dead link]
- ^ "The Belfast Telegraph; Tourist Plan For Old Mill". [dead link]
- ^ "Surprise as Mill up For Sale". The Belfast Telegraph.