Stamp of Windmill in the Vendée Region of France

The tower mill in the background has the conical cap typical of most tower mills in central and southern France. Note that the stocks or blade spars appear non-operable without the familiar lattice work necessary for supporting cloth sails. This appearance may be misleading, as many windmills in the Vendée region adopted the folding mechanical sails designed by Berton in 1845. Besides their traditional commercial function, windmills in the Vendée played an important role in the French Revolution. The Vendée is a region of lowlands near the Atlantic coast between the mouth of the Loire and La Rochelle. During the late 18th century the region was extremely isolated and transportation was limited to plying the waterways. (The Vendée is still sometimes called the Venice of France.) It is also a conservative and strongly Catholic region. During the Revolution, the Vendée sided with the Royalists and led a rebellion against the sans culottes. Windmills were used to signal the arrival of the Republicans so the Chouans, or counter-revolutionaries could escape. In reprisal, the Republicans often destroyed the windmills--and their millers.

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