Archival Processing of Chapels Administration’s Accounts in Madeira: Contribution of a Granular Analysis for the Study of the Entailment Phenomena

Abstract

The current paper seeks to present the archive of the “Juízo dos Resíduos e Provedoria das Capelas da Madeira” (JRC), an entity responsible for pious endowments whose activity led to a substantial collection with more than 11,000 documents, essential for the understanding of the entailment phenomena, which shaped the socioeconomic reality of Madeira during the 15^th-19^th centuries. Information is provided on this archive’s custodial and archival history, its scope and content, and respective organizational system, as well as its conservation and access conditions. This work highlights the significant collection of chapels administration’s accounts and the archival processing options adopted, aiming to enhance the understanding of the chapel (“capela”) as an institution, to highlight its characteristics and to facilitate the access to this documentation, intentionally aiding historical research.

Keywords

Madeira; Entails (Majorats, Chapels); 15^th-19^th Centuries; Archives.