Alexander Morton (manufacturer)
Scottish textiles manufacturer (c. 1844–1923)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexander Morton (c. 1844–1923) was a Scottish textiles manufacturer.
In 1875, he founded Alexander Morton and Company in Darvel, Ayrshire.[1] In the 1890s, they had nearly 600 employees.[2] By 1900, they had expanded to Carlisle, England and Killybegs, Ireland (Donegal Carpets).[2] The Donegal carpet industry owes its origins to Alexander Morton.[3]
They used the services of many designers, especially C. F. A. Voysey, Heywood Sumner and Lindsay Butterfield, and later Cecil Millar and George Henry Walton.[2]
In 1914, he reorganised his business interests, with a new company Morton Sundour being "the major off-shoot".[2][4] It was run by his second son James Morton.[2]
A monument to Alexander Morton in Loudoun, Ayrshire, erected in 1927, is a Category A listed building.[5]
The Victoria and Albert Museum, London holds 774 examples of their fabrics in their collection.[6]