History
Our municipality was formerly part of Walloon Flanders and the diocese of Tournai. In 1095, the Bishop of this city gave the altar of Houplines to the abbey of Sainte Barle de Reims. She will establish a priory there which will remain until 1789.
On the eve of the Revolution, the territory of Houplines came under two different seigneuries:
On the one hand, the seigneury of Houplines – Molimont (the current town).
It is mentioned from the 13th century and depends on the Salle de Lille.
It will be the stronghold of the Maison de Maisnil, then that of Poucques and Bours, will pass to that of Mérode and Isenghien to end in 1789 at the Princess of Isenghien, Countess of Lauraguais.
The coat of arms of the house of Isenghien, sable with a silver head, will be adopted by the city of Houplines.
industry
In 1383, there were two wheat mills, one common (that is to say accessible to all), the other reserved for merchants.
There was also a paper mill and an oil mill.
It was around them that the first agglomeration was grouped.
Drapery (wool work) appeared in the 17th century during the transformation of the paper mill into a sheet treading mill. Then in the 18th century, with spinning and weaving, the work of linen and cotton developed. Around 1750, there were 80 looms in Houplines for the weaving of common fabrics and a laundry which could process 80 pieces of fabric per year.
In 1768, a royal manufacture of cotton and muslin yarns was established in our town, but it could not resist foreign competition, in particular the English competition favored by the commercial treaty of 1786
Houplines spinning
It was during the 19th century with the industrial revolution and the beginnings of machinery that Houplines became an important textile center. Industry developed there concurrently with that of Armentières and around 1900 Houplines was considered a populous and prosperous town. The district of 'the great road' grouped around factories and the Saint Charles church built in 1883 was born from this industrial development.
City
Houplines is a French commune located in the Nord department (59), in the Hauts-de-France region. It is part of the European Metropolis of Lille.