Land Registry Offices 1Registry offices and their districts
Land Registry Offices
Original title: Conservatorias do Registo Predial
Describes the land registry offices (conservatórias do registo predial) of Madeira, their dates of establishment, the municipalities each covered, and the earlier registry arrangements from 1836 onwards.
1Registry offices and their districts
There are four land registry offices (conservatórias do registo predial) in the Madeira archipelago: that of Funchal, established on 30 September 1880; that of Ponta do Sol, created in the same year; that of Santa Cruz, established on 7 September 1910; and that of São Vicente, established on 24 November 1909.
The Funchal registry office covered the municipalities (concelhos) of Funchal, Câmara de Lobos, Porto Santo, Santa Cruz, Machico and Santana, but with the establishment of the São Vicente and Santa Cruz registry offices it was reduced to the first three. The Ponta do Sol office covered the municipalities of Ponta do Sol, Calheta, Porto Moniz and São Vicente; with the establishment of the São Vicente office it was left with the first two. The Santa Cruz office covers the municipalities of Santa Cruz and Machico, and, finally, the São Vicente office covers the municipalities of São Vicente, Porto Moniz and Santana.
The municipality of Ribeira Brava (‘wild river’), created on 16 August 1914, belongs to the Ponta do Sol registry office.
2Earlier registry arrangements
Before 1880 there were two registry offices in Madeira, the eastern and the western. The former covered the area of the judicial district (comarca) of the same name and took in the whole municipality of Funchal; the latter was made up of the remaining municipalities of the western judicial district.
The Eastern and Western Registry Offices were established under the Land Registry Regulations of 28 April 1870, approved by decree of the same date. They were preceded by the registry offices that had been set up – one in each municipality – on 1 April 1867, in accordance with the decree of 13 February of that year. These were in the charge of the municipal administrators, and were deemed abolished by the decree of 17 December 1869, which created dedicated registry offices in every judicial district.
The registry offices were created by the law (carta de lei) of 1 July 1863, but they were not actually set up until 1 April 1867. Before 1863 the municipal administrations kept the mortgage registers and other registers established by the decrees of 26 October 1836 and 3 January 1837, together with other related measures.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 10-
A decree established mortgage registers in municipal administrations.
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A further decree regulated mortgage and other registers.
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A law created the land registry offices.
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A decree of 13 February ordered municipal land registries, which were installed in each municipality on 1 April 1867.
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A decree abolished municipal land registries and created registries in every judicial district.
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The Land Registry Regulation established the Eastern and Western land registries in Madeira.
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The Funchal land registry office was installed.
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The São Vicente land registry office was installed.
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The Santa Cruz land registry office was installed.
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The municipality of Ribeira Brava was created by decree.
Place
Places mentioned · 11
- Calheta
Municipality served by the Ponta do Sol registry.
Calheta is a town and municipality in western Madeira, created by royal charter of 1 July 1502. It later became the seat of a countship granted to the captains of Funchal and was reorganised as a concelho in 1835.
- Câmara de Lobos
Municipality served by the Funchal registry.
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.
- Funchal
Seat of a land registry office installed in 1880.
The capital of the archipelago and seat of the principal captaincy, where settlement began; it was made a vila c.1451–52. Its bay, the widest in the archipelago, lies between Ponta do Garajau and Ponta da Cruz and offers sheltered anchorage, though its harbour had never been studied oceanographically. The Elucidário discusses it as a health resort with climate data and records the January 1906 disturbances, the Danish prince's visit in May 1846 and recent volcanic cones in the area.
- Machico
Municipality served by the Santa Cruz registry.
Machico is a town and municipality of Madeira set in a valley. The Elucidário traces its municipal history from its probable creation around 1451, through the loss of territory to Santa Cruz, São Vicente and Santana. It also records its arms, its privileges and its new town hall of 1929.
- Ponta do Sol
Seat of a land registry office created in 1880.
South-coast parish and municipality, settled from about 1440 by Rodrigo Enes 'o Coxo'. Its parish church of Nossa Senhora da Luz holds a triptych. The Elucidário also records its quay of 1848, paid for by the council, and the royal visit of 1858.
- Porto Moniz
Municipality served by the São Vicente registry.
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.
- Porto Santo
Municipality served by the Funchal registry.
An island of the archipelago, settled alongside Madeira and forming one of the three captaincies. It has always constituted a single parish, dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Piedade, whose church was repeatedly sacked. The Elucidário records the Moorish pirate raid of 1617, its own Misericórdia and a rainwater channel built on this drought-prone island.
- Ribeira Brava
Municipality created in 1914, served by the Ponta do Sol registry.
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.
- Santa Cruz
Seat of a land registry office installed in 1910.
Santa Cruz is a parish and one of Madeira's oldest settlements, named after a cross Zarco had raised there at the discovery. The Elucidário covers its early ecclesiastical history, collegiate church, chapels, noble settlers and localities.
- Santana
Municipality served by the São Vicente registry.
Municipality on Madeira's north coast, created in 1835. It lost Porto da Cruz to Machico in 1852 and was briefly abolished in 1867.
- São Vicente
Seat of a land registry office installed in 1909.
São Vicente is described as the largest and most populous parish of northern Madeira and the seat of the only town on the north coast. The Elucidário covers its settlement, church history, localities and landscape, and the deadly landslide of 1929.