THE Uprichard Family
Although much has been written about the linen industry in Northern Ireland and the workers in the mills, not much seems to have been written about the families behind the industry. A wealthy industrial elite, many of these families were involved not only in running their factories, but also in the politics of Northern Ireland and particularly Unionism. To coin a phrase, these people have been described as the ?linenocracy? and one family, which typifies this almost neglected history of the industry, were the Uprichards of the ?Springvale Bleachworks?.
Originally of Welsh extraction, the Uprichard family ? James, Thomas and Henry arrived in Ireland in the 19th Century to the Silverwood area of Lurgan. Described as linen drapers, the three brothers bought the old ?Millpark Bleachworks? from a long established linen family in the Tullylish area, the Christys. It was here that they built their ?Springvale Bleachworks?.
From Bann Valley CIC 2010