Câmara de Lobos (municipality) 1The lugar of Câmara de Lobos
Câmara de Lobos (municipality)
Original title: Camara de Lôbos (Municipio de)
Entry on the municipality of Câmara de Lobos, explaining that its seat was historically a 'lugar' rather than a vila, quoting Gaspar Frutuoso's description, and outlining the creation of the concelho in 1835 and later changes to its parishes.
1The lugar of Câmara de Lobos
Although the cluster of houses that forms the most central and important part of the parish (freguesia) is commonly called the town (vila) of Câmara de Lobos (‘seals’ den’), the truth is that the seat of this municipality (concelho) was never a town. It was simply a lugar (settlement ranking between a town and a parish), the name formerly given to a settlement intermediate between a town and a parish. Madeira had the lugares of Câmara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava, Faial, São Jorge, São Vicente, Porto Moniz and Caniço.
It was to the lugar of Câmara de Lobos that Gaspar Frutuoso was referring when he wrote: ‘Going a quarter of a légua west from the stream of Socorridos, there is a village called Câmara de Lobos, near the sea, which has a small cove and a cave where sea wolves slept and still sleep, from which the lugar took its name; and the captains of the island took that of Câmara, because the first captain, João Gonçalves Zarco, found them there when he first landed, as I have already said.
This village has some two hundred households (fogos, literally ‘hearths’) and a single main street, very long, and at the end of it a very fine and well-kept church. It also has two sugar mills, one which belonged to António Correia and the other to Duarte Mendes, and many canes and vines of good Malmsey, and plenty of fruit of every kind, and much water’.
2Creation and extent of the municipality
The municipality (concelho) of the same name, with its seat in the lugar (settlement ranking between a town and a parish) of Câmara de Lobos, was created in 1832, but it was never actually installed. Only after the establishment of constitutional government, in 1835, was this municipality created, and it was finally installed on 16 October of the same year. From its creation it comprised the parishes (freguesias) of Câmara de Lobos, Estreito de Lobos, Curral das Freiras and Campanário. In 1848 the new parish of Quinta Grande (‘large estate’) was formed from several localities detached from the parishes of Câmara de Lobos and Campanário, and the municipality of Câmara de Lobos gained this further parish, although its total area did not change at all. When the recent municipality of Ribeira Brava was created in 1914, the parish of Campanário became part of the new municipality and was detached from that of Câmara de Lobos. The coat of arms of the Municipal Council (Câmara Municipal) of this municipality shows two seals, or monk seals, between which appears the shield of the arms of Portugal.
The municipal offices are housed in the Council’s buildings, in the locality known as Vila (‘town’).
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 04-
The municipalities of Santana, Câmara de Lobos and Porto Moniz were created; Câmara de Lobos was not installed at the time.
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The municipality of Câmara de Lobos was definitively installed.
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By royal letter of 24 July 1848 Quinta Grande was separated from Campanário as an autonomous parish of the Câmara de Lobos municipality, taking over the Vera Cruz chapel.
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A decree created the municipality of Ribeira Brava. Campanário was transferred to it from Câmara de Lobos and Tábua from Ponta do Sol.
Place
Places mentioned · 14- Câmara de Lobos · Subject
Câmara de Lobos is a municipality of Madeira whose seat was historically a 'lugar' rather than a vila. The Elucidário quotes Gaspar Frutuoso's description of it and outlines the creation of the concelho in 1835 and later changes to its parishes.
- Câmara de Lobos
Subject of the entry.
Parish west of Funchal. The Elucidário traces its name to Zarco's discovery voyage and describes its churches, chapels and collegiate chapter, early settlers, fishing community and renowned vineyards. It also records the parish's localities, boundaries, levadas and population.
- Campanário
Ribeira Brava. Original parish, transferred to Ribeira Brava in 1914.
Campanário is a parish in Madeira, formerly part of Câmara de Lobos and later joined to the municipality of Ribeira Brava, drained by the Ribeira do Campanário (or da Lapa). The Elucidário records its landing, its band, its capitania-mor, its tithes paid to the Jesuits, a former chapel of St John founded in 1728, and the vicar sentenced by the Alçada of 1823. It was also the birthplace of Bishop D. Manuel Joaquim Gonçalves de Andrade and the jurist Francisco Justino Gonçalves de Andrade.
- Caniço
Santa Cruz. One of the former lugares of Madeira.
Caniço is a parish in the municipality of Santa Cruz, lying on the boundary between the captaincies of Funchal and Machico. Its early settlers included Gaspar Rego, Vasco Fernandes Rego and Álvaro de Ornelas, whose family founded morgados there; its alcaide and judge were appointed by the Funchal senate. The parish includes the Garajau statue, the Jesuits' Socorro residence and the Quinta do Barão da Conceição.
- Curral das Freiras
Câmara de Lobos. Original parish of the municipality.
Small inland parish set in a deep valley believed to be an extinct volcanic crater and Madeira's main eruptive focus. The estate was bought for the nuns of Santa Clara, who fled there in 1566 and gave it their name, and it was created a parish in 1790. It was earlier a pasture and a refuge for runaway slaves and criminals, and it became a julgado of the Funchal comarca in 1927.
- Estreito de Câmara de Lobos
Câmara de Lobos. Original parish of the municipality.
Estreito de Câmara de Lobos is a parish in the municipality of Câmara de Lobos, Madeira, created in the early sixteenth century around the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Graça. It was the main centre of rye-straw hat weaving and cheese-making, grows Sercial, Verdelho, Tinta and Bastardo, and became a julgado of the Funchal comarca in 1927.
- Faial
Santana. One of the former lugares of Madeira.
Faial is a north-coast parish of Santana municipality created in 1550, whose mountain springs feed the Levada da Serra. It contains Chícharos and the Diferença chapel, owns the eastern part of Pico Ruivo, and is noted for cheese-making and columnar basalt.
- Porto Moniz
One of the former lugares of Madeira.
North-western parish and municipality with a quay and a tolerable port that serves as a good landing when southerly winds close the south coast. It has one of the oldest Magdalene chapels in northern Madeira, whose feast falls on 22 July. It was the birthplace of Dr Manuel Gomes Jardim.
- Quinta Grande
Câmara de Lobos. Parish created in 1848 and added to the municipality.
Quinta Grande is a parish in the municipality of Câmara de Lobos, named after the largest Jesuit estate, which was sold for 140,000 cruzados. It became a curacy in 1820 and was separated from Campanário as an autonomous parish in 1848, with its seat at the chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, whose feast is celebrated there. It became a julgado of the Funchal comarca in 1927.
- Ribeira Brava
Former lugar and later municipality created in 1914, which took Campanário.
Municipality of Madeira created in 1914 from parishes of Ponta do Sol and Câmara de Lobos. Its seat, the sítio of Lugar, was raised to the status of vila in 1928.
- Ribeira dos Socorridos
Câmara de Lobos · Funchal. Stream a quarter league east of Câmara de Lobos, per Frutuoso.
One of Madeira's main streams, rising at the Torrinhas and dividing several parishes west of Funchal. Its name recalls Zargo's rescue of companions nearly swept away at its mouth. It feeds the Piornais levada, and a masonry road bridge over it was begun in 1848.
- São Jorge
Santana. One of the former lugares of Madeira.
North-coast parish that was an original parish of Santana municipality and gives its name to the northern archpriest district. It is known for plant-fossil and lignite deposits studied by Heer and Bunbury, and for a 17th-century landslide. The Elucidário also describes its islet, headland, quay and stream.
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People
People mentioned · 04-
Owner of one of the two sugar mills at Câmara de Lobos mentioned by Frutuoso.
- Francisco António Correia1457–1572
Former owner of one of the two sugar mills at Câmara de Lobos mentioned by Frutuoso.
- Gaspar Frutuoso1522–1591
Azorean chronicler whose description of Câmara de Lobos is quoted in this entry.
- João Gonçalves Zarcod. 1467
First captain of Funchal, who according to Frutuoso found seals at Câmara de Lobos on first landing, giving the family name 'da Câmara'.