Bessbrook

Bessbrook is named from Elizabeth or Bess Nicholson, wife of Joseph Nicholson whose family had carried on a linen business in the district from 1806 until 1845. The 'brook' is a stream which runs through the outskirts of the village. Bessbrook was founded by John Grubb Richardson in 1845 as a 'model village' along with the Richardson Spinning industry, with spacious streets and squares surrounding a large linen mill owned by the Quaker Richardson family. In the 18th and 19th centuries the linen industry was a significant contributor to the wealth of Quaker families in Ulster. The founder of Bessbrook, John G. Richardson, was a Quaker and was likely aware of other quakers such as the…

Bessbrook saw much of the worst violence in the Troubles. The linen mill was converted by the British Army into a major military base. A helicopter landing area was established to supply other military outposts in the area since road-borne movements of troops and supplies were vulnerable to landmine attack. At one stage the little village was reportedly the busiest helicopter airport in Europe. Nine of the ten Protestants murdered by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in the Kingsmill massacre were from Bessbrook. The end of the Troubles, following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, has led to some recovery for the village. Traffic restrictions have been relaxed and the…