Laurelvale

Coordinates: 54°22′08″N 6°27′05″W / 54.36876°N 6.45139°W / 54.36876; -6.45139

Laurelvale is a village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is beside the smaller village of Mullavilly and the two are sometimes referred to as Laurelvale-Mullavilly or Mullavilly-Laurelvale. The village is three miles south of Portadown and 1.5 miles northwest of Tandragee. It had a population of 1,284 people in the 2011 Census.

Name

Laurelvale is within the townland of Tamnaghvelton (formerly Tawnavaltiny, from Irish: Tamhnaigh Bhealtaine, meaning "Bealtaine field"). Laurelvale was taken from the name of a mansion that was built in the 19th Century. Mullavilly was named after the townland in which it lies. The name comes from Irish: Mullach a' Bhile, meaning "hilltop of the sacred tree".

History

Laurelvale was founded in the 1850s by Thomas Sinton JP (1826–1887) to house the workers in his linen mill of Thomas Sinton & Co. Ltd, which was in the village. At its height, Sintons' Mill had over 1000 workers. The mill has since been demolished. The company remained in family ownership until 1945 when it was taken over by the Ministry of Defence and operated by Hoffmans (who made ball bearings for gun turrets). The Sinton family also ran mills and bleach-works in Tandragee, Killyleagh, Tullylish and at Ravarnet outside Hillsborough, County Down.