Alexander Morton (manufacturer)

Fabric designed by C. F. A. Voysey for Liberty of London and manufactured by Alexander Morton and Co - on display in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris

1887 silk panel, designed by Alexander Morton

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]

References

1. "Alexander Morton and Company". Science Museum. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
2. Kornwolf, James D. (1980). "Review of Three Generations in a Family Textile Firm". Technology and Culture. 21 (4): 658-660. doi:10.2307/3104098. JSTOR 3104098. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
3. De Breffny, Brian (1983). Ireland: A Cultural Encyclopedia. London: Thames and Hudson. p. 54.
4. "Morton Sundour". Companies House. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
5. Historic Environment Scotland. "ALEXANDER MORTON MONUMENT, BESIDE A71 BETWEEN NEWMILNS AND DARVEL (Category A Listed Building) (LB13461)". Retrieved 26 March 2025.
6. "Alexander Morton". Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Retrieved 12 June 2022.