Early population records in Spain / P. Granville Edge.

  • Edge, P. Granville (Percy Granville), 1881-
Date:
1932
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Early population records in Spain / P. Granville Edge. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    to our knowledge of the earlier population data of Spain, seem worthy of some comment. Between the years 1815-1828, Gonzai^bz was engaged in examin¬ ing and co-ordinating various memoranda preserved in the Royal Archives of Simancas, and in the course of this work, came across many official documents of first-rate importance having reference to the population and its distribution in the provinces and territorial divisions of the country at various periods of time. In the Introduc¬ tion to the published results of his investigations (i) he remarks that, though his researches were more particularly devoted to i6th century records, they were not limited to that period of Spanish opulence and splendour, but included such information available relating to various periods preceding and following that age. He adds that his studies were designed to present authentic data by means of which the move¬ ment of the population might be followed at different epochs, and further, to dispose of the fiction so prevalent among both national and foreign writers that the Spanish government in earlier times had studiously failed to be interested in the state or distribution of the population within her peninsula boundaries. Bearing in mind that the documents he quotes are faithfully transcribed copies of orig¬ inal records copiado fielmente and presented in the language of the original documents literalmente trasladados it may be assumed they are worthy of study; the notes which follow, are, in the main, a brief account of Gonzabkz’s work, presented however, in chronol¬ ogical sequence, and not in the order in which the records appear in his original work. The earliest record has reference to the numbers and distribution of households in the City and territory of Baeza (in the Province of Jaen) during the year 1407, and provides for each of the 10 parishes in the area, the numbers of households suppl3dug knights, horse and foot, armed men, the aged, sick, unserviceable, and the clergy — a total of 1785 households. It should be stated at this stage that the majority of early population estimates in Spain are based upon the assumption that, on the average, each household comprised 5 persons ; this method would give a probable population of Baeza in 1407 of 8,925 persons (2). (1) Censo de Poblacidn en el Siglo XVI con varies apendices, etc. TomaS GonzAbEz. Madrid en la Imprenta Real. Madrid, 1829. (2) Throughout the work various comparative figures of the populations of different Provinces, towns, etc., are added. GonzAbBz remarks that these 6 ^