Towns
Original title: Vilas
Survey of the towns (vilas) of the Madeira archipelago and the royal charters and decrees that created them, from the first three captaincy seats around 1451 to Ribeira Brava in 1929.
The first towns and later creations
The first places in this archipelago to be raised to the rank of towns (vila), on account of their growth and because they served as the seats of the three captaincies, were Funchal (II-59), Machico (II-298) and Baleira (I-117). Despite his research, the learned commentator of ‘Longing for the Homeland’ (Saudades da Terra) was unable to discover the charters creating them, or even the precise dates on which this took place. He conjectures, however, with the strongest probability, that it happened around 1451, as has already been stated in the articles on those towns. Funchal, which thanks to its situation, climate, fertile soil, spacious harbour and other notable circumstances soon reached an unusual growth in population, was raised to the rank of city by the royal decree (alvará régio) of 21 August 1508, which is transcribed on page 61 of volume II of this work.
The royal decree (alvará) of 2 December 1501 created the town and municipality of Ponta do Sol (‘point of the sun’), whose area stretched from the parish (freguesia) of Tabua (‘bulrush’) to that of Achadas da Cruz (see III-99). It was soon reduced to much more limited proportions when the parish of Calheta (‘small cove’) was raised to the rank of town and municipality by the royal decree of 1 July 1502 (see I-191). The parish of Santa Cruz (‘Holy Cross’), which soon rivalled that of Machico, became a municipality with the status of a town by the royal decree of 26 June 1515, despite the opposition raised by the judicial district (comarca) of Machico and by the head of that captaincy (see III-246).
The constant petitions of several parishes on the north coast of Madeira led to the creation of the town of São Vicente (‘St Vincent’), with its seat in the parish of that name, by the royal letter (carta régia) of 25 August 1744, although the municipality of Machico had raised serious obstacles to its creation (see III-282).
The municipality (concelho) of Ribeira Brava (‘wild river’), with its seat in this parish, was created by the decree of 6 May 1914, and the town itself by the decree of 26 March 1929. It was the eighth and last town established in this archipelago.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 08-
D. Afonso V raised Funchal to the status of town, with Machico and Baleira (Porto Santo) probably made towns and municipalities about the same time.
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By royal charter of D. Manuel I, Ponta do Sol was raised to the status of town and municipality.
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By royal charter Calheta was raised to a town and made a municipality, reducing the area of Ponta do Sol.
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By royal charter D. Manuel raised Funchal to city status, the first city in Portugal's overseas domains.
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King Manuel raised Santa Cruz to a town and municipality, created from Machico territory (dated 20 or 26 June 1515).
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A royal charter raised the parish of São Vicente to the status of a town and municipality, attaching northern localities such as Porto Moniz, Ponta Delgada and Seixal to it and further reducing the municipality of Machico.
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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.
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A decree raised the seat of Ribeira Brava to the status of vila, the last in the archipelago, and the locality Lugar was renamed Vila.
Place
Places mentioned · 10
- Achadas da Cruz
Porto Moniz. Western limit of the original Ponta do Sol municipality.
Achadas da Cruz is a small parish in the far north-west of Madeira, in the municipality of Porto Moniz; it grew from a sixteenth-century chapel and became an independent parish in 1848. It was transferred between municipalities several times: to Porto Moniz in 1835, briefly to Calheta in 1849–55, and to Calheta again when Porto Moniz was abolished in 1895. Its flat is the smallest plateau, with a crater-like lagoon 66 m across; free-ranging cattle and Euphorbia mellifera are found there. Other records include the benefactor Manuel de Pontes Câmara and the wreck of the yacht Varuna in 1909.
- Baleira
Porto Santo. Seat of the Porto Santo captaincy and one of the first towns.
Vila Baleira is the town of Porto Santo, seat of the municipality and of its only parish, and formerly seat of the Porto Santo captaincy. It was among the first towns, probably raised to town status around 1452. The Elucidário discusses the obscure origin of its name and its long decline.
- Calheta
Made a town and municipality in 1502.
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.
- Funchal
One of the first three towns, later raised to city in 1508.
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
One of the first towns, seat of a captaincy.
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.
- Ponta do Sol
Made a town and municipality in 1501.
Town and municipality of Ponta do Sol on Madeira, an early sugar-producing centre raised to a town in 1501. The Elucidário traces the changes in its municipal territory and its role as seat of a judicial district (comarca).
- Ribeira Brava
Municipality created 1914, town 1929, the eighth and last.
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
Made a town in 1515 despite Machico's opposition.
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.
- São Vicente
Made a town in 1744 after north-coast parishes' petitions.
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.
- Tabua
Ribeira Brava. Eastern limit of the original Ponta do Sol municipality.
Tabua is a parish on Madeira that belonged to Ponta do Sol from 1835 to 1914 and was then transferred to the new municipality of Ribeira Brava. It is crossed by the Ribeira da Tabua and irrigated by the Lombo do Moiro levada and, since 1908, by the Monte Medonho levada. Early settlers included Rui Vaz Uzel and Rui Vaz de Medeiros; the parish's tithes went to the Jesuits, and it was devastated by floods in 1856.