Oliveira (Dr António Rodrigues de)
Original title: Oliveira (Dr. António Rodrigues de)
Portuguese magistrate who came to Madeira as corregedor in 1790 and later held posts as inspector of tobacco and soap, judge of the British conservatory and inspector of agriculture, leaving valued agricultural instructions at the Calheta council.
He was a native of Portugal, but lived for many years on this island while carrying out various public-service commissions. He came here appointed corregedor (royal district magistrate), taking up office on 4 October 1790. He later held the posts of inspector of tobacco and soap works and of judge conservator (conservador, special judge for British subjects) of the British Conservatorial Court (conservatória britânica, special court for British subjects). He also served as inspector of agriculture, and in that capacity he left on record at the Council of Calheta (‘small cove’) a set of instructions on agricultural matters, which for the time were a valuable piece of work and can still be read with interest today. Laudatory references to these instructions are found in various works and documents.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 01Place
Places mentioned · 02
Abroad
- Calheta
Its council recorded his agricultural instructions.
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.
- Portugal
His country of birth.
Portugal, the mother country of Madeira. The Elucidário notes that artillery detachments were sent from the mainland to garrison Madeira before 1877, that Madeira was linked to Portugal by telegraph cable in 1874, and that woad and gifts of honey were formerly sent there from the island. Mainland oranges and olives are compared favourably with those of Madeira and Porto Santo.
People
People mentioned · 01-
Mainland Portuguese magistrate who became corregedor of Madeira in 1790 and wrote agricultural instructions kept at the Calheta council.