Thomas Scott Turnbull (28 October 1825 – 22 March 1880) was the son of a Newcastle

saddle The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not kno ...

r. He went on to open one of the largest

drapery Drapery is a general word referring to cloths or textiles (Old French , from Late Latin ). It may refer to cloth used for decorative purposes – such as around windows – or to the trade of retailing cloth, originally mostly for clothin ...

houses in

Northeast England North East England is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL (UK), ITL for Office for National Statistics, statistical purposes. The region has three current administrative levels below the region level in the regi ...

, was a founder member of a daily provincial newspaper and served as Mayor of

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

Early life

Thomas Scott Turnbull, the son of saddler John Turnbull, was born in Newcastle on October 28, 1825. After being educated at St Mary's School, Newcastle, he went to work for "''Dunn and Bainbridge''" - then the largest drapery firm in Newcastle. Turnbull soon rose to a "high position", later gaining further experience of the trade by working in several large commercial houses in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, before moving to Sunderland in 1850 and starting his own business.

Business life

Turnbull was extremely forward-thinking, introducing a system of "small profits and quick returns" at a time when established drapers gave long credit. From humble beginnings, he built up his Sunderland-based business "Albion House" into one of the largest drapery houses in Northern England. At his death, it occupied ''122-126 High Street West'', Sunderland, and the premises included sleeping and dining accommodation for 160 assistants, plus a

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

of nearly 2,500 volumes for their use. A second, smaller, Albion House drapery was also operated in ''Silver Street'', Durham.

Political life

Politically, Turnbull was a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

. He was elected to Sunderland Town Council, representing Bridge Ward, in 1866, but retired three years later rather than standing for re-election on account of his business commitments. It was Turnbull's interest in politics which led to his friendship, and future business partnership, with

Samuel Storey Samuel Storey (1841–1925) was a British politician born in County Durham. He became a Member of Parliament for Sunderland and the main founder of the ''Sunderland Echo'' newspaper. Early life Samuel Storey was born in Sherburn, near Durh ...

. Storey, a former

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

and future MP for Sunderland, was aware of a gap in the market for a local daily newspaper, and was also keen to find a method of publicising his

Radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

points of view. Storey and Turnbull were two of the original seven founders of the Sunderland Echo in 1873. Each of the seven invested £500 towards the project and the paper is still published today. Turnbull returned to politics following a seven-year break, after taking his son, Edward, into partnership. He was elected to the council in 1876, this time for Bishopwearmouth Ward, and became Mayor of Sunderland in November 1880. He died of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

, however, in March of the following year and was succeeded as Mayor by Samuel Storey.

Private life

Turnbull mausoleum, Bishopwearmouth Cemetery

Turnbull was a member of the

Established Church A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular, is not necessarily a t ...

and warden of St Mark's Church, Sunderland. He was survived by a widow, four sons and three daughters. He was laid to rest in the Turnbull family

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

Bishopwearmouth Cemetery Bishopwearmouth Cemetery is a cemetery in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. It lies between Hylton Road and Chester Road ( A183 road). History Due to the cholera epidemic of 1831 and the subsequent overcrowding of churchyards, it was decided ...

. His son, Thomas Strover Turnbull, became the youngest winner of the

boat race Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

in 1873 with

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, at the age of 18 years and 12 days, a record that stands to this day.

Early life

Business life

Political life

Private life

References

Further reading