Meslay, town of about 300 inhabitants, is located east of the Loir. This river forms a natural border with Vendômoise agglomeration.
A little history...
Meslay is a village with a rich past, since the eleventh century, was marked by important events, the most striking was, without doubt, stay in November 1589 of King Henry IV castle.
In 1719 the area was purchased by Meslay family Gate Féraucourt. This profoundly affected the area by building the current castle (1732-1735) and the old part of town. Indeed, the old town and castle Meslay were towards the north, along the Loir, and were subject to many floods and other damage.
Mr. Laporte has therefore yielded "1,064 fathoms superficial" and built a new church, the cemetery and rectory. From 1733 will be around the church small houses with one room and a loft to house the workers of the factory and farms. This factory, founded in 1731, manufactured Siamese (woven fabrics of cotton yarn) and tapestries; it was located in the existing school buildings and the mill.
Today the castle is still inhabited by the family descendants of Mr. Laporte and can be visited in the summer.
A word about the castle: Due to the importance of the functions performed by the different generations of the family owning the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, famous people frequently stayed Henri IV, the Argenson, the Caumartins, Germaine Countess de Stael, etc. The site (park, gardens, Loir) is classified since 1943. The castle itself was included in the inventory of historical monuments in 1995 and interior-exterior classified as a historical monument in 2017.