Saint-Étienne

Saint-Étienne grew in a coal-bearing district of the Forez, where metalworkers developed a reputation for making arms. The craft involved many specialised trades, from forging to the finishing of weapons. In 1765 the existing manufacture of weapons received the title of Royal Arms Manufacture. Workshops and dwellings multiplied together in the eighteenth century, as the organisation of production drew craftsmen and workers into the expanding town.