Masters of the land, masters of the village: the elites and local authorities in Mértola in the 18th century

Abstract

This study seeks to identify the social characteristics of the recruitment of
staff to the two main local institutions of the borough of Mértola in the second half of the 18^th century - the town council and the «misericórdia». Therefore, it analyses the distribution of the posts filled throughout the period under review by the various social and professional categories to which the individuals appointed to those posts were assumed to belong. This analysis gives an idea of the main features of the social groups and their stratification in the acess to positions of authority and of the logic underlying the appropriation of those positions by the various segments of the local elites.