Forges de Syam
Encyclopedia
The Forges de Syam are forge works and sheet metal mills which are still active in 2005, although the buildings were erected in the 19th century and part of the machinery from that time is still in use. The factory was built at the confluence of the rivers Ain
and Saine to the south of Champagnole
in the French département of Jura.
is mentioned here in 1757 and 1788 and had been present 'from time immemorial'. According to the record of a law case of 1763, it had been working in 1690. It is reasonable to imagine it as having been part of the big expansion in the metal-working industry of the region in the 16th century, after the establishment of the first smelting furnaces in the Saône valley.
The basic business was in making scythe
s which had a good reputation all through the region and the making of them was a finely honed skill. In the 18th century, only a few forges had mastered the technique of using a mechanical hammer for the job. So much was this a problem that French producers were unable to keep up with the demand for this essential tool. They were imported, particularly from Styria, in the south-east of modern Austria, beyond the Tyrol
. It was possible to develop this very skilled craft here, in the Jura owing to the expertise of immigrant workers from the Tyrol (just beyond the far end of Switzerland)
In conjunction with this skill, there was the presence of very extensive woodland on the Jura mountains
around the town. This produced the vital ingredient of charcoal, a form of carbon
which is free of sulphur and other impurities which make most coal
unsuitable for use in iron working. Extensive woodland was an asset as it takes a lot of trees to make a relatively small amount of iron
goods. In 1763, the owners, the Péry family, produced more than 15,000 scythes and more than 60,000 iron tyres for the wheels of vehicles.
, the production of good-quality scythes having become an important opportunity for investment, other industrialists of the Jura
, of the Vosges
and Alsace
gladly threw themselves into the manufactory, constraining Charles-Joseph Péry to declare himself bankrupt on 24 July 1810.
The unit was bought the same year by Claude Jobez (1745–1830), of Morez
. He was already the owner of a fine fortune from the merchandizing of clocks from the Franche-Comté
region in the whole of Paris and from financing several iron workshops. Also in 1810, Etienne Monnier who had married Adélaïde, the daughter of Claude Jobez in 1800, put capital in the company alongside his father-in-law and the latter's son, Emmanuel. Between 1811 and 1820, they would build a new factory downstream from the primitive tilt hammer. This included a notable novelty for France at the time, a reverberatory furnace
. From 1820, 400 tonnes would come out of the works each year and the tonnage would be doubled by 1840.
Competition from coke
-smelted cast iron
from the United Kingdom, cheaper than that produced using wood at Syam, led to the poor health of the business. Alphonse Jobez, the son of Emmanuel, set up a nail
works in 1864 which gave a new life to an enterprise which had been in a state of collapse. The workforce would go from 40 to 70.
to replace the old house beside the original forge. He was not to see its completion having died by accident in 1828. Alphonse, his son, took up the cause of Fourierist
theory. He applied it at Syam by creating a cité ouvrière (compare Saltaire
), adjoining the factory, encouraging the setting up of a school and a dispensary. A post office with telegraph was added in 1885.
In parallel with this, he introduced exotic livestock to the estate farm and to others which he owned. A very cultivated man, Alphonse also fitted out a library of 30,000 volumes on the first floor (American second floor) of the villa. Alphonse's granddaughter, who had married the son of Sadi-Carnot
in 1910, would often stay at Syam.
In 1945, the firm of UMAS, from Arc-et-Senans
, a specialist in making file
s, became the main stakeholder in Syam. The group went bankrupt in 1976. From 1969, a workforce would come from Morocco
, from the village of El Hajjyenne.
In 1976, the forges were bought by Experton-Revollier, a group from Isère. A process of modernization which was absolutely necessary in view of the absence of a travelling crane, and of electric motors on machinery, (belt transmission was still in use). It would go hand in hand with the retention of the steel rolling mill, the last of its type in France and one of the last in Europe.
(elevators).
Ain River
The Ain is a river in eastern France. In the Franco-Provençal language it is known as the En.-Global position:The river rises at an altitude of some 700 metres, near the village of La Favière, in the Jurassic limestone of the southern end of the Jura mountains and flows into the Rhône about 40...
and Saine to the south of Champagnole
Champagnole
Champagnole is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.-Geography:Champagnole has the publicity tag of "Pearl of the Jura" and is a small town at the geographical centre of Jura tourism. It stands on the right bank of the young River Ain at the foot of Mont Rivel...
in the French département of Jura.
History of the site
A tilt hammerTrip hammer
A trip hammer, also known as a helve hammer, is a massive powered hammer used in:* agriculture to facilitate the labor of pounding, decorticating and polishing of grain;...
is mentioned here in 1757 and 1788 and had been present 'from time immemorial'. According to the record of a law case of 1763, it had been working in 1690. It is reasonable to imagine it as having been part of the big expansion in the metal-working industry of the region in the 16th century, after the establishment of the first smelting furnaces in the Saône valley.
The basic business was in making scythe
Scythe
A scythe is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass, or reaping crops. It was largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor machinery, but is still used in some areas of Europe and Asia. The Grim Reaper is often depicted carrying or wielding a scythe...
s which had a good reputation all through the region and the making of them was a finely honed skill. In the 18th century, only a few forges had mastered the technique of using a mechanical hammer for the job. So much was this a problem that French producers were unable to keep up with the demand for this essential tool. They were imported, particularly from Styria, in the south-east of modern Austria, beyond the Tyrol
Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
. It was possible to develop this very skilled craft here, in the Jura owing to the expertise of immigrant workers from the Tyrol (just beyond the far end of Switzerland)
In conjunction with this skill, there was the presence of very extensive woodland on the Jura mountains
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
around the town. This produced the vital ingredient of charcoal, a form of carbon
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
which is free of sulphur and other impurities which make most coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
unsuitable for use in iron working. Extensive woodland was an asset as it takes a lot of trees to make a relatively small amount of iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
goods. In 1763, the owners, the Péry family, produced more than 15,000 scythes and more than 60,000 iron tyres for the wheels of vehicles.
Nineteenth century
After the French RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the production of good-quality scythes having become an important opportunity for investment, other industrialists of the Jura
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
, of the Vosges
Vosges
Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...
and Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
gladly threw themselves into the manufactory, constraining Charles-Joseph Péry to declare himself bankrupt on 24 July 1810.
The unit was bought the same year by Claude Jobez (1745–1830), of Morez
Morez
Morez is a commune of the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.The town is mostly known for the manufacture of spectacles. From 1680 to 1920, Morez was with Morbier the center of Comtoise clock production.- References :*...
. He was already the owner of a fine fortune from the merchandizing of clocks from the Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté the former "Free County" of Burgundy, as distinct from the neighbouring Duchy, is an administrative region and a traditional province of eastern France...
region in the whole of Paris and from financing several iron workshops. Also in 1810, Etienne Monnier who had married Adélaïde, the daughter of Claude Jobez in 1800, put capital in the company alongside his father-in-law and the latter's son, Emmanuel. Between 1811 and 1820, they would build a new factory downstream from the primitive tilt hammer. This included a notable novelty for France at the time, a reverberatory furnace
Reverberatory furnace
A reverberatory furnace is a metallurgical or process furnace that isolates the material being processed from contact with the fuel, but not from contact with combustion gases...
. From 1820, 400 tonnes would come out of the works each year and the tonnage would be doubled by 1840.
Competition from coke
Coke (fuel)
Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
-smelted cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
from the United Kingdom, cheaper than that produced using wood at Syam, led to the poor health of the business. Alphonse Jobez, the son of Emmanuel, set up a nail
Nail (engineering)
In woodworking and construction, a nail is a pin-shaped, sharp object of hard metal or alloy used as a fastener. Formerly wrought iron, today's nails are typically made of steel, often dipped or coated to prevent corrosion in harsh conditions or improve adhesion...
works in 1864 which gave a new life to an enterprise which had been in a state of collapse. The workforce would go from 40 to 70.
Social and domestic life
From 1825, Emmanuel Jobez developed the project of building a Palladian villa, the Château de SyamChâteau de Syam
The Château de Syam, located in the village of Syam in the French department of Jura was built in 1818 by Emmanuel Jobez regional industrialist and owner of the Forges de Syam, a forge and sheet metal works....
to replace the old house beside the original forge. He was not to see its completion having died by accident in 1828. Alphonse, his son, took up the cause of Fourierist
Utopian socialism
Utopian socialism is a term used to define the first currents of modern socialist thought as exemplified by the work of Saint-Simon, Charles Fourier, and Robert Owen which inspired Karl Marx and other early socialists and were looked on favorably...
theory. He applied it at Syam by creating a cité ouvrière (compare Saltaire
Saltaire
Saltaire is a Victorian model village within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
), adjoining the factory, encouraging the setting up of a school and a dispensary. A post office with telegraph was added in 1885.
In parallel with this, he introduced exotic livestock to the estate farm and to others which he owned. A very cultivated man, Alphonse also fitted out a library of 30,000 volumes on the first floor (American second floor) of the villa. Alphonse's granddaughter, who had married the son of Sadi-Carnot
Marie François Sadi Carnot
Marie François Sadi Carnot was a French statesman and the fourth president of the Third French Republic. He served as the President of France from 1887 until his assassination in 1894.-Early life:...
in 1910, would often stay at Syam.
Twentieth century
The nail works closed in 1914. Syam limited its range of products, specializing in those where there was limited competition. This enabled it to survive the two World Wars.In 1945, the firm of UMAS, from Arc-et-Senans
Arc-et-Senans
Arc-et-Senans is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.The Royal Saltworks, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982, are located here.-Population:-References:*...
, a specialist in making file
File (tool)
A file is a metalworking and woodworking tool used to cut fine amounts of material from a workpiece. It most commonly refers to the hand tool style, which takes the form of a steel bar with a case hardened surface and a series of sharp, parallel teeth. Most files have a narrow, pointed tang at one...
s, became the main stakeholder in Syam. The group went bankrupt in 1976. From 1969, a workforce would come from Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, from the village of El Hajjyenne.
In 1976, the forges were bought by Experton-Revollier, a group from Isère. A process of modernization which was absolutely necessary in view of the absence of a travelling crane, and of electric motors on machinery, (belt transmission was still in use). It would go hand in hand with the retention of the steel rolling mill, the last of its type in France and one of the last in Europe.
Present-day activity
Today, this remnant of the iron industry of the 19th century feeds the market in short-run products, particularly in the fields of locksmiths' work, motor cars and liftsElevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
(elevators).
External links
- The official site of the château, residence of the forge-masters
- Samples of metal sections rolled at the forge. Use the links for other pictures. text in French.