Censo - History Lab

Cadastre of the Ensenada

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:42 +0000

Between 1750 and 1754 all the towns in “las Castillas” were subjected to an interrogation consisting of the following 40 questions: Name of the town (question 1); jurisdiction (2); extension and limits (3); types of land (4, 5); trees (6, 7, 8 and 13); measures of surface and capacity used (9, 10); species, quantity and value of fruits (11, 12, 14 and 16); tithes and first fruits (15); mines, salt mines, mills and other “artefacts” (17); livestock (18, 19 and 20); census of population, with neighbours, labourers, solemnly poor (21, 35 and 36), census of clerics (38) and convents (39); houses and other buildings (22); goods belonging to the commons (23), sisas and arbitrios (24), expenses of the commons, such as salaries, festivals, paving, fountains (25), taxes (26 and 27); industrial and commercial activities, with the utility of the goods or services produced: taverns, inns, shops, bakeries, butchers, bridges, boats on rivers, markets and fairs (29), hospitals (30), money changers and merchants (31), shopkeepers, doctors, surgeons, apothecaries, notaries, muleteers etc. (32); masons, stonemasons, masons, stonemasons, blacksmiths, cobblers etc. (33, 34); ships (37); alienated goods (28) and the King’s own revenues (40); the answers to these questions are obtained following a previously regulated process. This panoramic view of the Kingdom is a small part of a larger survey, the so-called Cadastre of the Marquis de la Ensenada, set in motion by Royal Decree of Ferdinand VI on 10 October 1749, as a preliminary step to fiscal reform, replacing the complicated and unjust provincial revenues with a single tax, the so-called Contribution. The Single Tax was never implemented, but it has left an important volume of documentation in our archives, the General Answers are kept in various State Archives. The General Archive of Simancas holds the complete certified copy of the replies of the 13,000 localities of the Crown of Castile. Preservation reasons led to the initiation of the microfilming process. In the 1980s, the 545 books of General Answers kept in Simancas were microfilmed. The frequent consultation of these collections and the need to facilitate access made digitisation advisable, which was carried out by the Document Reproduction Service (SRDAE) from microfilm during 2004 and 2005. The result is 350,000 images of documents with very neat calligraphic handwriting, easy to read and with hardly any abbreviations; very few pages have legibility problems, such as faded inks or ink transfer from the back. These images are now available on this page.

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Distribution of the population of Extremadura according to the data of the Vecindario of 1591 (in percentages) and distribution of the population according to the data of the Census of Floridablanca (in percentages)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:57 +0000

Between 1591 and 1752 there is no reliable population count available for Extremadura as a whole, so the figures presented must be considered as mere approximate estimates, as this is the only possible way to be minimally reliable. The sample consulted is based on 37 localities (18 in Badajoz and 19 in Cáceres) which accounted for 13.87% of the surface area and 17.47% of the population of Extremadura in 1787. The demographic evolution of Extremadura in the Modern Age can be divided into three main stages. The first comprises 1500-1574 when there was an upward trend; the second from 1575-1651 which, on the other hand, was an intense depressive movement, followed by the period from 1652-1835 with a new population increase. Within the last phase, it is necessary to explain two sub-phases: one of recovery in 1652-1759 until the maximum birth rate of the 16th century was regained, and the real boom, from 1760 to 1835. Prior to these stages, macrodemographic sources such as baptismal records suggest that the number of Extremadurians recorded a notable increase in the first three quarters of the 16th century. From the mid-16th century onwards, the population of Extremadura began a very long period of positive growth which lasted until the end of the Ancien Régime. However, neither wars nor catastrophic mortality seem to be the main reasons for the almost two centuries it took the region to recover the maximum number of baptised people. Without forgetting the migratory movement – of which few results are known – the available evidence points to a demographic collapse that is intertwined with the behaviour of fertility.

The post Distribution of the population of Extremadura according to the data of the Vecindario of 1591 (in percentages) and distribution of the population according to the data of the Census of Floridablanca (in percentages) first appeared on History Lab.

Share of the labour force employed in the services sector, 1787

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:57 +0000

Spain was still a fundamentally rural country in the 18th century, as certain areas of the peninsula were characterised by the existence of agrocities, large towns made up of farmers and day labourers. There was also an urban population which, however, encountered some difficulty. Most towns included a component of the population engaged in agriculture, and although huge levels of agricultural employment were not the general rule, most towns had between a quarter and half of their working population engaged in farm work. This was due to the weak and syncopated process of Spanish industrialisation and its concentration in a few places, especially until 1900. In this sense, the provincial capitals, whatever their size, are considered to have the capacity to attract non-agricultural activities during this period. Although they are only occasionally industrial, it is common for them to show high concentrations of active population in the service sector, since at least during the 18th century, an important part of their population was working for the Church. This type of activity is based on the nature of the pre-industrial city as a centre of attraction for power, as it was the place where the nobles preferred to live, where the Church concentrated its revenues, where the most coveted positions were located as well as the University, and where domestic service could find employment more easily. However, the industrial city would not become the dominant form of economic organisation until well into the 20th century. At least half of Spain’s cities have more than 33% of their working population in the service sector. Of the 12 most important agro-cities, 11 have a tertiary sector that does not reach a third of the active population and account for 80% of the cities whose service sector is less than 20% of the total population. Finally, it should be noted that the service sector is the most important sector in the small provincial capitals, especially in the group with less than 10,000 inhabitants; 61% of these capitals have more than a third of their population employed in services.

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Labour force in cotton spinning in Catalonia in 1842 according to P. Madoz

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:52 +0000

In the wool-producing villages of central Catalonia, the importance of women’s work was very significant. In 1763, in Sallent, 14 women and five men were needed to run a loom. In Castellterçol, wool provided work for 2,300 people, 2,030 of whom were women. Based on the looms declared in the comarca of Bages and the women needed to run them, according to data from the Floridablanca Census, 57.3% and 86% of the women were involved in spinning. Thanks to various reports at the end of the 18th century, many productive activities – both in craft and agricultural areas – were carried out by women, whose labour force could grow and shrink depending on the demand for products. However, the mechanisation of cotton spinning and weaving was significantly reduced by eliminating the manual spinning that took up more labour. Madoz, in his Diccionario, provides a series of data on the textile industry in 1842, giving information on the sex of the workers. Women were in the majority in cotton spinning in Catalonia (61.6%), followed by children of both sexes (33%) and the marginal role of men (5.3%). However, it does not seem that each spinner worked at home and reproduced a proto-industrial model, but rather that the manufacturers tended to concentrate a few machines on the premises: the berguedanas.

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Population of Palma de Mallorca according to the Floridablanca Census (1787)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:52 +0000

During the last third of the 18th century, the Spanish Bourbon administration was concerned on successive occasions to ascertain, for demographic purposes, the number of inhabitants living throughout the national territory. The Censuses of Aranda (1768-69), Floridablanca (1787) and Godoy (1797) provided population figures classified by age, sex and marital status. The 1787 Census was compiled by the State administration, using the data transmitted by the Intendencias, the corregimientos and the municipalities. The Mallorcan population, classified by age, sex and status, amounted to 134,790 souls on that date, to which should be added, following the criteria of the Census, the institutional and community population, which totalled 2,478 people. However, at that time, Palma had a population of 34,073 inhabitants, to which another 2,047 living in communities were added, giving a total of 36,120, representing 26.28% of the total demographic contingent: one out of every four Mallorcans lived in the capital.

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Secondary sector in the council of Avilés, 1797

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:46 +0000

The well-known Godoy Census was a general population count promoted by Manuel Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, First Secretary of State and Office of Charles IV. Published in 1801, it provides valuable data that give an insight into the situation of Spain at the end of the Enlightenment. It is not merely demographic in nature, but also economic, being conceived as an improved version of the previous Floridablanca Census. This tool allows a detailed reconstruction of the activities of the manufacturing sector in Avilés at the end of the Ancien Régime. The town provided employment for trades that either did not appear, or did so in a precarious way, in other parts of the region. An important branch of activity was textiles, especially work linked to the linen industry which, despite Campomanes’ wishes, could not lead industrialisation as it was subject to various limitations and foreign competition. With 117 weavers, the domestic manufacture of linen in Aviles was in the hands of women – it should be remembered that one of the great assets of this census is to highlight women’s work. Another textile speciality was tailoring, represented by 40 men and four women. It also included other trades such as footwear, which, together with tailoring, maintained the employment levels of 1753. However, the real specialisation was in copper working or boilermaking. Together with pottery, these set the tone for Avila’s manufactures at the end of the Ancien Régime. Among the coppersmiths, of which there were ten masters, the census included 45 boilermakers and 60 apprentices. The second most active branch was pottery, as most of the potters, located in Miranda, combined this occupation with agricultural work.

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Service sector in the council of Avilés, 1797

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:46 +0000

The well-known Godoy Census was conceived as a tool for the general population count promoted by Manuel Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, First Secretary of State and Office of Charles IV. When it was published in 1801, it provided valuable data that gave an insight into the situation in Spain at the end of the 18th century. Its main characteristic is based on economic and not demographic knowledge, as it was drawn up as an improved renewal of the Floridablanca Census. This tool allows a detailed reconstruction of the activities of the manufacturing sector in Avilés at the end of the Ancien Régime. In this sense, the service sector highlighted the key role of trade, as Avilés had a mercantile tradition since the Middle Ages. As it was located in a central position in Asturias, which made it a demander of products, a commercial class was consolidated in the region that covered the supply circuits. One of the groups with a certain weight in the council was the military, as Avilés was the capital of the maritime province of the same name (from Gijón to Castropol). Military administration professions such as troops and sailors – active or retired – and others depended on the Navy Commissioner, Rafel Gómez Roubaud, a personal friend of Godoy. Attention to educational institutions is also relevant, when Asturias was at the bottom of the list in terms of school enrolment: 93.5% were boys and 6.5% girls. Likewise, the census reflects the personnel dependent on the Church, including sacristans, those people who lived with the religious (donados and educandas) next to the buildings destined for worship. Finally, it includes domestic service, the bulk of which was carried out by domestic servants, as it was a fundamentally female job.

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Neighbourhood of 1683, original data and reconstruction

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:40 +0000

In 1683, by order of Charles II, the Vecindario was published, which counted the inhabitants of the Crown of Castile in order to establish a more up-to-date tax system that would allow for more efficient revenue for the Royal Treasury. Who were considered to be inhabitants? Family units were counted as neighbours, so the data does not reflect the number of inhabitants. In order to obtain the total population, the author applies an average coefficient based on the size of the family. The resource shows this demographic data in column “F”, giving a total population of 4,786,882. By region, the North Atlantic coast, Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria had 1,416,200 inhabitants, the largest population, followed by Andalusia (1,117,880) and Castile and Leon (1,087,202). At the provincial level, Seville, Granada and Toledo were the most inhabited areas with 316,800, 304,100 and 241,240 inhabitants respectively. Of all the regions and provinces, Galicia stands out with 950,000 inhabitants, a significant number in relation to the size and type of population. In contrast, the most depopulated territories were Zamora (39,120), Toro (47,576) and Córdoba (65,480). From 1683 to 1753, the years of the Ensenada Cadastre, the general trend continued; although the population increased in all areas, the imbalances were similar.

The post Neighbourhood of 1683, original data and reconstruction first appeared on History Lab.

Neighbours, families and secular inhabitants according to the Cadastre of Ensenada (1752)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:40 +0000

The Cadastre of the Marquis de la Ensenada, carried out in the middle of the 18th century in the Crown of Castile, is one of the main historical sources for the study of demography, economy and territory. It consisted of several books dealing with numerous aspects; the resource shown here corresponds to the Neighbourhood and Census books. By regions, the territories of Andalusia had 1,462,449 inhabitants, Old Castile and León had 1,988,698, New Castile, including Madrid, had 1,040,972, Extremadura had 373,022 inhabitants, while Galicia and Murcia had 1,299312 and 272,057 respectively. A total of approximately 6,436,510 inhabitants for the Crown, where the most populated provinces were Seville (694,771), León (563,689) and Granada (545,285); those with the fewest inhabitants were Zamora (62,304), Toro (79,212) and Ávila (98,873).

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