Dependencia - History Lab

Percentage of households with servants in Galicia (1752)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:18 +0000

The evolution of family economies during the Modern Age was closely linked to the existence of servants. Local elites relied on this type of labour force, either for domestic help or for agricultural or livestock work. The most disadvantaged and dispossessed in the social stratification of the Ancien Régime tended to be the servants; thus, there were relations of master-servant dependency based on labour power and trust. The resource shows the territorial distribution of households with servants in Galicia in the mid-18th century. The author identifies the two areas with a notable presence of servants: inland Galicia, where 22.5% of households had at least one servant, and northern Galicia, with 17%. In inland Galicia, urban centres had more households with servants: near Monforte de Lesmos, the parishes of Santa María Sabadelle, Santa María de Baamorto and Santa María de Tuiriz had 29%, 30% and 31% respectively. The labour needs of the pazos hidalgos, of the clergy lands and of the rectories explain the differences in the demand in the labour market for servants, although there were equally important factors, such as ecological, economic and land ownership.

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Camila Gonzaga, Countess of San Segundo and her children

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:26 +0000

Portraits of marriage and family are common in the Modern Age, allowing us to detect forms of relationship between husband and wife and family compositions. This portrait by Parmigianino depicts Camilla Gonzaga, married to the Count of San Secondo, emphasising her role as a mother. The iconography of the work depicts, apparently for the first time in Italy, a woman surrounded by her children in the manner of classical charity. Revealing is the hardness of the mother’s face, with a certain restrained smile, while the children approach the cord around her waist with their hands, considering it an element of security. She gives the impression that with one of them she wants to break the bonds of dependence, with another she seems to warn him of a possible withdrawal and only allows the youngest to cling to her. Her attitude, together with the direction of the children’s gaze, leaves a clear message: age forces a change in mother-child relationships and male life and promotion are associated with going out of the domestic space.

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The evolution of old age in Fermoselle (1750-1825)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:56 +0000

The stage of old age in the rural world had a series of basic needs that needed to be covered and prepared for as long as they enjoyed a certain level of health. These people of 60 or more years of age used to design strategies by means of cessions and donations to close relatives to ensure their own survival during this hard stage of life.
The evolution of the group during the second half of the 18th century is striking, as its quantitative growth did not slow down until the first quarter of the 19th century. Throughout the seventeenth century, the growth in the data can be considered to be due to the fact that these individuals had already overcome the demographic crisis of the previous century, marking a new generation that was better fed and had more adequate health care facilities for their needs, which led to a striking population expansion of this group of elderly people.
In the 19th century, the growth trend of the previous century continued, but was cut short in 1804 due to the mortality crises that devastated Fermoselle between 1804 and 1812, especially affecting the weakest people, including the elderly.

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Raised in Ciudad Real in 1751

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:33 +0000

The table presented reflects the number and percentage of heads of households who have servants in their service, as well as the typology of the servants. The relationship between both factors, masters and servants, is determined by the socio-economic structure of the territory. Thus, in Ciudad Real, which had a strong agrarian oligarchy, the number of servants per head of household was high, even more so among the wealthy strata of local society. Analysing the data, 61.3% of the servants in Ciudad Real depended on perpetual offices and hidalgos in 1751. In total, of the 50 heads of privileged families, the servant servants numbered 55 and the servant maids 75, showing a preference for females in domestic tasks. On the other hand, the labour and livestock servants numbered 156 and 363 respectively, the vast majority of whom were male. On average, there were 13 servants per wealthy family. The situation of many workers was one of dependence on the master; even more so if we consider the servants in service (the typical profile was female, orphaned, single and young).

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Distribution of servants according to age in some towns in the province of Albacete in the mid-18th century

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:33 +0000

Within the province of Albacete, the majority of servants and servants were young (up to 25 years of age). After that age, their number decreased, although it was equally important (42.1% of the total). These data acquire significance if we take into account their life cycle. The Cadastre of the Marquis de la Ensenada for the town of Villarrobledo shows that of the 368 whose marital status is known, there were no married women; among the men, 31.5% were already married and 5% were widowed. Returning to age, the internal hierarchisation of work was related to the length of experience in the work performed: age. Thus, the work of young servants was secondary or subordinate; likewise, the pay was lower.

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The post Distribution of servants according to age in some towns in the province of Albacete in the mid-18th century first appeared on History Lab.