Villeneuvette - Manufacture Royale

The history of Villeneuvette starts with foundation of the "Manufacture de draps des Saptes", a clothmaking "factory", end of the 17th century. This manufacture was promoted to a "Manufacture Royale" under Louis XIV.

Villeneuvette was a "village-factory", where upto 300 weavers lived with their families. The work was done at home, each weaver and his family had a weaving loom installed on the ground floor of the house.

What looks nice and very romantic today, will have had a different look, when the families worked here. The weavers were paid by the sheets they produced, so the whole family (including the children) had to work.