Social status of the shareholders of the Compañía de Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados in Valencia during the 18th century (values expressed in Valencian pounds)

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

The artisans soon became aware of the need to react in defence of their economic independence, and from the 1740s onwards there was a succession of initiatives aimed at reinforcing their cooperation and favouring the activity of the workshops themselves. Initially, the company had an exclusively artisan character, since according to the initial chapters that were to govern its activity, only the masters of the College of the Major Silk Art or their most direct relatives (widows and children) could participate in it. However, the nature of the company was transformed by the modifications imposed by the General Board of Commerce where, thanks to the initial success, the artisan character was eliminated and the participation of the rest of the social groups in the shareholding was authorised. The project drawn up by the silk craftsmen was viewed with great suspicion by the silk bourgeoisie and the central bodies of the monarchy. It was stipulated that a capital of 500,000 to 600,000 pesos was needed to be viable; the broadening of the social basis of the shareholding was, however, considered compatible with the reservation of management positions for the silk craftsmen without taking into account the problems this might cause. The high point came when in 1776-77 shares worth £65,350 were acquired, doubling the capital subscribed so far. The company was enlarged by different groups. The first group was made up of the wealthy and well-to-do classes, with three members of the titled nobility, four merchants, 60 professionals and distinguished persons with the title of “don” and 37 ecclesiastics. Between them, they were able to control the company perfectly well, since even though they were 31.13% of the shareholders, they held 59.62% of the subscribed capital. The second large group comprised people of whom only their names are known and who did not receive any distinguished treatment. Their economic status is lower than the sectors mentioned above and they accounted for 36.52% of the shareholders, despite which they controlled only 25.39% of the capital.

The post Social status of the shareholders of the Compañía de Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados in Valencia during the 18th century (values expressed in Valencian pounds) first appeared on History Lab.

Value of cloth sales in Castile, 1614-1616

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

The author, José Ignacio Andrés Ucendo, offers us a statistical overview of the price of different fibres, such as wool, silk and linen, in different territories of the Crown of Castile at a time contextualised by the decline of civil manufacturing at the beginning of the 17th century. Overall, wool was traded more than linen and silk, which were the second and third most traded products respectively. By areas, in Old Castile the predominant fabric was wool, taking 73.6% of the market, this value being lower in Andalusian localities with 44%. Within the woollen cloths, the most traded were those of Segovia, Cordoba, Úbeda and Baeza; logistical centres of production. Thus, the market was divided into two areas: Andalusia and the Northern Plateau. The author notes that Andalusian consumption was greater than that of the north due to the difficulties that the Segovian drapery had in marketing its products; a crisis in demand from which it barely recovered. In the 18th century, consumption patterns were reversed, with linen dethroning wool in Castile. These consumption and marketing dynamics are similar to the data provided for the Catalan area of the Crown of Aragon.

The post Value of cloth sales in Castile, 1614-1616 first appeared on History Lab.

Seda - History Lab

Social status of the shareholders of the Compañía de Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados in Valencia during the 18th century (values expressed in Valencian pounds)

Value of cloth sales in Castile, 1614-1616