Marriage, work, and social reproduction in one area of southern Europe at the end of the 18th century: Lorca (1797)

Abstract

In this article, the process of social reproduction has been analyzed in Lorca, a municipality in the western Mediterranean region of Murcia (Spain) at the end of the 18th century. An exhaustive subset of the data from the local Godoy's census (1797) was used consisting of 29,875 individuals living in a total of 7566 households. This population was distributed between the town, the Huerta (the Murcian irrigated market garden community), and the countryside. Results confirmed, on the one hand, that a direct relationship existed between higher social status and size of household, with a higher number of older children in the households of land-owning farmers than of tenant farmers or day workers. More children in higher status households indicate that children left home later, and therefore inheritance problems rose, which influenced social reproduction within these groups. Spatially, a clear division can be found between the countryside with more male work-hands and a higher index of male activity and the Huerta with a certain female dominance.

Keywords:

• Family
• Female work
• Marriage
• Household
• Social structure

Acknowledgements

This study was first presented at the 5th ADEH International Population Congress, Logroño, April 1998. This article forms part of the research project “Families: New perspectives on forms of social organization in southern Spain: Life cycle, family progress and identity, and sociocultural reproduction,” sponsored by the Dirección General de Investigación Cientı́fica y Técnica del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, PB97-1058.

Notes

1 At the end of the 18th century, two censuses provided outstanding sources of information in the context of Europe at that time: Floridablanca (1787) and Godoy (1797). Although Floridablanca has been the subject of exhaustive regional and local analysis (Dopico & Rowland, 1990; Chacón, 1992; Instituto Nacional de Estadı́stica (INE), 1987), the census of Godoy (INE, 1992) has remained in the background, despite the fact that it is an excellent source for analyzing Spanish demography at the end of the 18th century (Pérez Moreda, 1983). Possibly, it tends to be forgotten because of having less local detail than the census of Floridablanca.

2 If the population had remained stable since 1787, the 29,875 inhabitants would represent almost 80% of it (78.96%). This percentage would, in fact, be lower bearing in mind that there were 3,265 more inhabitants in 1797 (41,096 as opposed to 37,831 in 1787). Therefore, in absolute terms, the existing subset represents more than 70% (72.69%). Given the size of the population, this figure seems sufficient for drawing valid conclusions. In addition, the countryside and the Huerta are almost completely accounted for; we have information concerning 60 of the 63 localities. The locality (diputación) is the civil administrative unit that deals with the whole population and is distinct from and smaller than the parish. The religious jurisdiction of Lorca consisted of three parishes: Coy, Puerto Lumbreras, and San Patricio. Almost 2000 km² of countryside depended on San Patricio from its foundating until 1723, when the other two parishes were created. We are dealing with a large geographical area, sparsely inhabited with a complex population structure. Historically, this area was a frontier zone between Christian and Moslem Spain. The clash of cultures brought about by the Moslem presence gave rise to the particular characteristics described above and to the coexistence of civil and religious administrations. The religious body is much wider in scope, in that various localities are included in each parish (Chacón, 1992, footnote 10, p. 363). The urban area is less fully represented. Approximately half of the population mentioned in 1787 is accounted for; out of a total of 18,631 inhabitants who belonged to the seven parishes (San Juan, San Cristóbal, San Pedro, San José, Santiago, San Patricio, and San Mateo), data exist for 8519 inhabitants. Data on San Cristóbal, the most populous parish, also include mixed characteristics in terms of occupations. On the other hand, we lack San Mateo, which could have provided data on power groups. Documentation is in the Municipal Archives of Lorca, Room III, Sections 5 and 6. An employee of the administration, normally accompanied by the local priest, collected the original data door-to-door.

3 The occupational activity data are for men, women, and children, which has enabled us to develop a much more appropriate social and work-based typology for the social context and the contemporary economic and professional context of traditional society. Our first point of reference was whether individuals possessed the means of production. We therefore divided farming into three distinct groups. Within the category of craftsmen, we distinguished textile craftsmen and women who worked in the textile sector from other craftsmen. Other categories were services and administration, commerce, and domestic service.

4 Between 1756 and 1787, the population of Lorca rose from 29,180 to 37,831, increasing 1.24% annually. This increase was due mainly to the birthrate being higher than the death rate.

5 Cartagena, 1752: day workers (2172 families), farmers (972 families); Cieza, 1756: day workers (279 families), farmers (283 families); Fortuna, 1756: day workers (191 families), farmers (189 families); in Chacón et al. (1986). Lorca, 1756: nobles (hijosdalgo) (63 families); Abarán, 1756: day workers (76 families), power groups (13 families), farmers (32 families); Fortuna, 1870: day workers (506 families), farmers (69 families). This sample brings together a total of 3224 families of day workers and 1621 farming families and power groups distributed among the different zones of the region of Murcia.