John Grubb Richardson (13 November 1813 – 1891) was an Irish linen merchant, industrialist and philanthropist who founded the model village of Bessbrook near Newry in 1845, in what is now Northern Ireland.

[1] Five years later he founded a major Atlantic steamship line that significantly improved conditions for immigrant passengers fleeing Ireland after the Great Famine.

[7] In 1845, John, along with his father and older brother Jonathan, decided to manufacture linen products and purchased a burned-out mill in Bessbrook, then a small village.

Bessbrook was selected for the new business because of the availability of water power and the large amount of flax grown in the area.

John expanded the site with new manufacturing buildings constructed with local Mourne granite and dedicated housing for the workforce built to a high standard for the period.

In 1850, Inman persuaded John and his brothers to form the Liverpool and Philadelphia Steamship Company and buy an advanced new ship, the SS City of Glasgow.

She proved profitable because her iron hull required less repair and her screw propulsion system left more room for passengers and freight.

In 1863, John purchased his brothers' interests in the linen manufacturing business and reorganised the firm as the Bessbrook Spinning Company.

[3] At that time, the production of linen was booming because the American Civil War cut off cotton supplies to British manufacturers.