Montaud (Loire)
Montaud is a former French commune of the Loire on the north west of the city of Saint-Étienne. It was created during the French revolution then included in Saint-Étienne in 1855.
History
[edit]Monte Alto appears in 14th century texts.[1] In the 19th century the commune saw industrial expansion in the form of coal mining and of ribbon-making. Sainte-Marie mine, atop Crêt de Montaud, was working until 1960.
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View of the suburb, c. 1860.
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Sainte-Marie mine c. 1880.
About 1840 a railway was built to connect Châteaucreux to Montaud station for transporting coal. At this time a scythe factory gave work to around 500 employees and was the main place for under 14s to work.
![exterior of large house in rural 19th century France](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/df/Massenet%27s-birthplace.jpg/220px-Massenet%27s-birthplace.jpg)
Montaud was the birthplace of the composer Jules Massenet, at 4 place Marengo in 1842, whose father had set up a local scythe factory in 1838.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Tenementum seu curtile de Monte Alto, 1331 (B 1856, f° 6 v°), Dict. Topographique du département de la Loire, P.U.S.E., 2006, ISBN 2-86272-412-2
- ^ Harding, James. Massenet. JM Dent & Sons Ltd, London, 1970, p16-17.