By the end of the 19th century, women were already in the majority in the factories of the Ter. Armies of spinners, auxiliary workers and apprentices all worked on the niddy noddys, the roving frames, on the spinning machines and the bobbins. In innumerable tasks, and they were often despised and relegated to the lowest rung in the employment hierarchy. They were insulted with names such as ‘bed bugs’ and ‘manufacturers’.