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
Ravernet outside
Hillsborough, County Down. and
PETER DE SALIS, in the Manor of Clare in County of Armagh, 1802. Thomas Sinton also built a large house in the village,
Laurelvale House, which, following the
Second World War, was the home of
Michael Torrens-Spence,
Lord Lieutenant of County Armagh.
Laurelvale House has since been demolished to make way for housing development. ==Schools==