Stream walls 1Early orders and reconstructions (1613–1772)
Stream walls
Original title: Muralhas das Ribeiras
Account of the retaining walls built along Madeiran streams, especially the three ribeiras of Funchal, to prevent erosion and flooding, from royal orders of the 17th–18th centuries to the works of Reinaldo Oudinot after 1803 and later 19th-century repairs.
1Early orders and reconstructions (1613–1772)
Walls have long existed along the banks of some streams, to prevent the water from eroding the land or flooding the settlements. On 28 June 1613 the Funchal Municipal Council (Câmara Municipal do Funchal) protested against various acts of the Governor, Dom Manuel Pereira Coutinho, and in particular against the way in which he opposed it in the direction of the works on the streams ‘in manifest violation of the royal provisions’. The charters of 4 January 1660, 9 August 1747 and 18 July 1748 ordered, respectively, the building of protective walls on the streams of Ribeira Brava (‘wild river’), Santa Cruz (‘Holy Cross’) and Machico.
These walls were built, but not, it seems, with the necessary soundness, for on 24 July 1756 the superintendent of the royal treasury (provedor da fazenda) wrote officially to Diogo de Mendonça Corte Real about the need to rebuild them.
2Oudinot's works and later walls (1772–1848)
On 30 May 1772 the captain of engineers Domingos Rodrigues Martins was summoned to the Funchal Municipal Council to draw up the estimate for rebuilding the walls of the streams, without which the Council could not petition the Monarch to carry out this improvement. The Relação dos Estragos causados pela Tempestade que houve na noite do dia 9 de Outubro de 1803 na ilha da Madeira (‘Account of the damage caused by the storm on the night of 9 October 1803 on the island of Madeira’), published on p. 723 of ‘Longing for the Homeland’ (Saudades da Terra), refers to the destruction by the waters of ‘high and strong walls, built of stone and lime along the eastern and western banks of the three streams, for the safety of the city’. This shows that something was done in that year of 1772, or shortly afterwards, to protect Funchal against the danger of floods. The present walls of the city’s streams were begun, or greatly improved, in 1804 under the direction of Brigadier Reinaldo Oudinot, who also proposed various urgent works on the streams of Santa Cruz, Machico, Porto da Cruz, Calheta, Madalena, Ponta do Sol, Ribeira Brava and Tábua, some of which were carried out. On 9 December 1804 the brigadier reported to the Viscount of Anadia ‘that the rains had produced great floods in the streams, which had demonstrated the effectiveness and solidity of the works already built both in Funchal and in Machico, Santa Cruz, Ponta do Sol and in the parishes of Tábua and Madalena.’
In 1806 several houses on the banks of the Ribeira de João Gomes and the Ribeira de Santa Luzia (‘St Lucy’) were demolished to make way for the new walls. A report submitted to António de Araújo e Azevedo on 28 December 1814 shows that at that date some works still remained to be done on these streams and on the Ribeira de São João before the city would be fully protected from floods.
Part of the wall of the Machico stream was raised after the flash flood (aluvião) of 1842. In 1847 and 1848 the wall of the Ribeira de Santa Luzia beside the fish market and the walls of the Ribeira de João Gomes near its mouth and the Campo da Barca (‘boat field’) were built, although we do not know whether these works were then being carried out for the first time. In 1847 some stone was laid out along the Ribeira Brava, and more solid works have recently been carried out there to protect the town (vila) against the danger of floods.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 11-
The Funchal council protested against Governor Manuel Pereira Coutinho's interference in the works on the stream walls.
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A royal charter ordered protective walls to be built on the Ribeira Brava.
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A royal charter ordered the building of walls along the ribeiras at Santa Cruz.
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A royal charter ordered the building of river walls at Machico.
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The Provedor da Fazenda reported that the walls of Funchal's streams needed rebuilding.
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Engineer Domingos Rodrigues Martins was called to estimate the rebuilding of the walls of Funchal's streams.
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The great flood of 9 October 1803, considered Madeira's greatest calamity, devastated Funchal and other parts of the island, killing about 600 people and destroying the Calhau church, stream walls, bridges and chapels in Machico, Santa Cruz and elsewhere. It prompted Oudinot's mission and the city's spread outwards.
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Brigadier Reinaldo Oudinot arrived in Funchal in February 1804 and channelled and walled the town's three streams; floods in December 1804 proved the walls, and in 1806 houses by the João Gomes and Santa Luzia streams were demolished for the works.
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A report noted that protective works were still lacking on Funchal's streams.
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A terrible flood struck Funchal, damaging the council house on the Largo do Pelourinho, followed by a harbour storm wrecking boats; it led to the Central Relief Committee and to part of the Machico wall.
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Walls were built along the Santa Luzia and João Gomes streams in Funchal.
Place
Places mentioned · 13
- Calheta
Stream works proposed by Oudinot.
Calheta is a town, parish and municipality on Madeira's south-west coast and one of the island's oldest settlements. The Elucidário covers its name, early settlers such as Pedro Berenguer, its church and many chapels, including one of a former Franciscan convent, and the 1834 riot.
- Campo da Barca
Funchal. Site beside the João Gomes walls.
Campo da Barca is a public square in Funchal, built under Governor Florencio José Correia de Melo, handed to the municipality in 1818 and named after the Conde da Barca. It was the site of the disinfection post, which was attacked in popular riots, and of the house where the Asilo da Infância operated from 1836. Part of the square was later renamed Praça de Tenerife.
- Funchal
City protected by the walls of its three streams.
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
Walls ordered in 1748, partly rebuilt after 1842.
The parish of Machico was the landing place of the discoverers Zargo and Tristão Vaz and the seat of the captaincy of Machico; the parish was founded c. 1450. The Elucidário covers its clergy and stipends, chapels, historical events, mineral springs, localities, population and notable natives.
- Madalena do Mar
Ponta do Sol. Walls built under Oudinot proved effective in 1804.
Madalena do Mar is a parish on the south-west coast of Madeira, in the municipality of Ponta do Sol, founded on the estate of the legendary Henrique Alemão and made an independent parish in 1582. The Elucidário records its chapels, sugar and banana farming, its capitania-mor, damage in the 1876 floods and the 1939 flood of the Ribeira da Madalena, and it was the birthplace of António Policarpo dos Passos Sousa.
- Ponta do Sol
Walls built under Oudinot proved effective in 1804.
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 da Cruz
Machico. Stream works proposed by Oudinot.
North-coast parish created in 1577 and noted for good-quality wines. It was transferred from Santana to Machico municipality in 1852 and was the seat of a capitania-mor. It was also a fishing port where some sperm whales were landed.
- Ribeira Brava
Walls ordered in 1660 and works in 1847 and recently.
Ribeira Brava is one of Madeira's oldest parishes, named after its violent stream, with a town, port and quay. The Elucidário covers its collegiate church and its paintings, its Franciscan convent and chapels, and its São Pedro festival with a boat and sword dance. It also records riots against the metric system and deaths when troops fired on the people during the 1884 election.
- Ribeira de João Gomes
Funchal. Houses demolished in 1806 for new walls; walls built 1847–48.
The Ribeira de João Gomes is a stream in Funchal that rises in the Serra do Poiso, receives the Ribeira das Cales and was once called Ribeira de Nossa Senhora do Calhau. It marked the eastern limit of the planned city walls and of the parish of Santa Luzia, and the Calhau church stood beside it. The 1941 municipal slaughterhouse stands on its right bank.
- Ribeira de Santa Luzia
Funchal. Walls built 1806 and 1847–48 near the fish market.
The Ribeira de Santa Luzia is one of the three streams crossing Funchal, named after a chapel of Santa Luzia on its left bank. Its banks were probably the first land irrigated by levadas and had four sugar mills in the late 17th century. It feeds the Santa Luzia, Moinhos and D. Isabel levadas, and the Jesuits' Fundoa residence stood on its right bank.
- Ribeira de São João
Calheta. Works still lacking in 1814.
The Ribeira de São João is the westernmost of the three large streams crossing Funchal; it rises in Santo António, reaches the sea at São Lázaro and formerly bore several other names. It marked the western limit of old Funchal and of the planned walls, the first settlement stood on its right bank, and its sediment is silting up the Pontinha cove. A stream of the same name is also recorded as crossing the parish of Fajã da Ovelha.
- Santa Cruz
Walls ordered in 1747 and worked on by Oudinot.
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.
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People
People mentioned · 06-
Minister informed in 1814 that some Funchal stream works remained unfinished.
- D. Manuel Coutinho1671–1742
Governor of Madeira against whom Funchal council protested in 1613 for obstructing its stream works.
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Royal minister informed in 1756 of the need to rebuild the stream walls.
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Captain of engineers called in 1772 to estimate the cost of rebuilding Funchal's stream walls.
- Reinaldo Oudinotd. 1807
Brigadier who from 1804 directed the building of Funchal's present stream walls and works across the island.
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Minister to whom Oudinot reported in December 1804 on the success of the walls.