User:Imalbornoz/Gibraltar

Evidence regarding the topics under discussion in the Gibraltar article

Capture of Gibraltar
Some sources used during the discussion:

Such was the behaviour not only of the men but their officers that the worst fears of the population were confirmed. There were 'disorders involving persons of the weaker sex with gave rise to secret bloody acts of vengeance'. In consequence, 'the vanquished deprived many of life and threw the corpses in wells and cesspools. (...) Accordingly, when the garrison and City Council marched out on 7 August under the terms of surrender, all but 70 of the inhabitants of the 1,200 houses in the city took what they could carry of what had not yet been plundered, and then filed through the gate towards the ruins of ancient Carteia.
 * George Hills (1974). Rock of Contention. A History of Gibraltar. London: Robert Hale. pp. 173-174. ISBN 0-7091-4352-4

Después del fuego devastador, asaltada al fin la ciudad, sin la mayor parte de sus defensas y con soldados ingleses en sus calles, la confusión se adueñó de la población y se hizo presente la sed de botín y venganza de los soldados. El hecho más grave (un "desafortunado incidente" para la historiografía inglesa) fue el ataque a la población refugiada en la ermita de la Virgen de Europa, donde habían encontrado cobijo mujeres y niños, portando las pertenencias más valiosas de sus hogares; al igual que sucedió en los pueblos aledaños a Cádiz dos años antes, la soldadesca se entregó a la profanación y saqueo del templo, al robo de todos los objetos de valor de los refugiados y, lo más grave, a la vejación y violación de algunas mujeres.
 * Sepúlveda, Isidro (2004). Gibraltar. La razón y la fuerza (Gibraltar. The reason and the force). in Spanish. Madrid: Alianza Editorial. pp. 89-91. ISBN 84-206-4184-7. Chapter 2, "La lucha por Gibraltar" (The Struggle for Gibraltar) (quickly translated by myself).

After the devastating fire, the town was finally assaulted, lacking a great portion of its defenses and with English soldiers in its streets, confusion took hold of the population and the soldiers' thirst for booty and revenge became evident. The most serious incident (a "misfortuned incident" according to English historiography) was the attack on the population taking refuge in the chapel of the Virgin of Europe, where women and children had taken cover, carrying their homes' most valuable belongings; just like what happened in the villages near Cadiz two years before, the military gave themselves to profanation and sacking of the temple, the looting of all the valuable objects of the refugees, and, worst of all, the vexation and raping of some women.

The conquerors were out of control. (…)Into the raw hands of fighting seamen (…) alcohol and plunder and women passed wildly and indiscriminately. (…)The sack of Gibraltar was memorable through Andalusia for the peculiar fury of the invaders against the servants, houses and ornaments of the Catholic religion. (…) Every church in the city was desecrated save one.

(...) women were insulted and outraged; Roman Catholic churches and institutions were taken over as stores and for other military purposes (except for the Cathedral of Saint Mary the Crowned that was protected successfully by its staunch vicar, Juan Romero, his curate, and his bell-ringer); and the whole town suffered at the hands of the ship's crew and marines who came ashore. Many bloody reprisals were taken by inhabitants before they left, bodies of murdered Englishmen and Dutchmen being thrown down wells and cesspits. By the time discipline was fully restored, few of the inhabitants wished or dared to remain. (Notes: "outraged" is an euphemism for "raped"; "bloody reprisals" is also an euphemism for "murders in retaliation")

In addition to destroying, pillaging, and raping, the soldiers and sailors that took Gibraltar in 1704 displayed an unusually strong anti-Catholic attitude and defiled all of the churches on Gibraltar, except the Church of St. Mary, which was defended to the last by its priest. The defilement attracted comments and attention in an age when widespread raping and looting was taken for granted as part of the spoils of war.

English authorities note with surprise, but without any explanation, that almost the entire population of Gibraltar fled from the town, though one of the articles of war specifically promised that 'the inhabitants, soldiers and officers who may choose to remain in Gibraltar shall be conceded the same privileges they had in the time of Carlos II, their religion and all the tribunals shall remain intact. . .' The truth would seem to be most discreditable to the English, and has therefore been suppressed in English books.
 * (reedited in 2007 by Lightning Source Inc)

The Rev. Thomas Pocock was presumably well inured to the habits of his flock, but he was shocked by the wanton destruction of all Catholic churches. 'Every church in Gibraltar was sacked save one, a good priest staying behind to save the Church of St. Mary,' Some attempt was made to stop the looting, but not many were punished. A few men were sentenced to death to discourage the others, the choice being made by throwing dice. One British marine 'was hanged after he had thrown dice with a Dutchman, who had 10 and the Englishman 9'.
 * (reedited in 2007 by Lightning Source Inc)

Anyone who has read contemporary accounts of British soldiers and sailors in the early eighteenth century can imagine what was bound to happen when these alcoholic and sex-starved men were let loose in a southern port. Ayala's description of the sacking of Gibraltar is borne out by the chaplain's diary: the destruction of churches and ill-treatment of the civil population closely resembling the orgy which followed the capture of Puerto de Santa Maria. There is no reason to doubt its substantial accuracy.



Nevertheless, the Prince of Hesse remained as Governor, with some troops and 1800 English sailors, who committed a thousand excesses in this ruined City. They profaned all the churches, except the principal one, which was zealously defended by the curate Padre Juan Romero. But the greatest disorders were committed at the hermitage of “Our Lady of Europa”: they treated the Holy Image with derision, and cut off the head of the infant she held in her arms. (…) Many females experienced insults and outrages, whence arose numerous sanguinary acts of vengeance on the part of the inhabitants, who murdered the perpetrators, and threw their bodies into well or sewers.



It must, however be borne in mind that the Gibraltarians had fled from their town not because they objected to British rule per se; by their flight they instead disowned the claims of Charles III, the Hapsburg pretender to the Spanish crown, for the British troops had not hoisted the Union Jack, but the Hapsburg flag. Moreover, the fugitives also had non-political reasons for their behavior: although the British authorities tried to prevent violence by the troops against civilians, it occurred rather frequently under cover of the confusion in the newly conquered territory. So “remaining in Gibraltar was not a very attractive proposition, for it was under an army of occupation and the inhabitants had seen plenty of signs of bad discipline”.

Exodus to San Roque
Some quotes used during the discussion:

All bar about 70 of the 4000 inhabitants elected to leave, crossing the isthmus with whatever possession they could carry and seeking shelter over a wide area of Andalucia (..) Many settled in San Roque and the museum there has many mementoes of this troubled period; the town was granted formal recognition by Philip V in 1706 as 'My city of Gibraltar in the fields'. Other travelled as far afield as Ronda and Malaga.

Some people travelled as far as Medina Sidonia, Ronda, and Malaga to find refuge. Most of the fishermen and their families moved into the ruins of Algeciras and restarted not only their own lives there but the life of Algeciras. Other families settled nearby at Los Barrios that had grown into a small town by 1716. Members of the religious orders found havens in the monasteries and nunneries throughout southern Andalucia. But the most important settlement to be established was around the Hermitage of San Roque, which, in 1706 Philip V addressed as "My City of Gibraltar resident in its Campo." The city council, banner, and records were moved there, and San Roque become Spanish Gibraltar as the Rock was gradually transformed into British Gibraltar.

Accordingly, when the garrison and City Council marched out on 7 August under the terms of surrender, all but 70 of the inhabitants of the 1,200 houses in the city took what they could carry of what had not yet been plundered, and then filed through the gate towards the ruins of ancient Carteia. The number of refugees was probably about 4,000. Some found shelter in the mountain villages and towns as far as Medina Sidonia, Ronda and Malaga. The wealthier refugees owned property within the extensive city boundaries beyond the isthmus. One of them, the regidor (town councillor), Bartolomé Luis Varela, gave houseroom in his country mansion to the city's standard and records; the City Council continued to meet there, and in 1706 obtained royal authority for the Gibraltarian refugees to establish themselves round the hermitage of San Roque. Philip V, in granting the authority and in subsequent communications, addressed them always as My City of Gibraltar resident in its Campo.

(..) a consequence of the allied occupation of the peninsula in 1704 was to break the established connections with the people and resources of the mainland. Compounding this diffi culty, the allied occupation in 1704 prompted the exodus from Gibraltar of virtually all the resident civilian population. True, such departures had happened on previous occasions in Gibraltar’s history when new regimes took over after successful sieges, as in 1309 and 1333. But this time the civilian population’s concerns for their safety under British control were compounded by not unreasonable fears of mistreatment by Protestant troops. Most Catholics, perhaps 1,500 families, maybe 5,000–6,000 people, transported themselves and their movables across the new frontier to the Campo de Gibraltar, and especially to San Roque. A British officer listed the names of those few Spanish who remained and were still resident in 1712. There were twenty-five family groups and sixteen individuals, including a couple of friars and two Catholic priests, possibly as few as 70 people, or 120 at most (..)

Tras la salida de la ciudad, unos cuatro mil gibraltareños se asentaron en los alrededores. Aunque algunos viajaron a las grandes ciudades de Sevilla y Málaga, los más quedaron cerca de donde pensaban pronto volver: algunos pescadores gibraltareños se instalaron en las ruinas de Algeciras, un grupo más numeroso creó el núcleo de Los Barrios, aunque el grueso de la población y el concejo se constituyó de nuevo en la cercana ermita de San Roque, que había sido fundada en 1640 a media legua de las ruinas de Carteia; el nuevo pueblo, a quién nadie tuvo la tentación de llamar Nuevo Gibraltar ante lo que se esperaba pronto retorno, ya fue reconocido en 1706 por Felipe V como "Mi ciudad de Gibraltar en ese Campo", y pasó a ser el heredero directo y continuador institucional de Gibraltar con su ayuntamiento, el archivo y el pendón que la reina Isabel la Católica había concedido a la ciudad "llave de estos reinos"

A small number came back to inhabit a hillside quarter where the dust of the rubble eddied in the down-draught of the wind over the Rock. But most of them settled in Spain round the hill of San Roque, within sight of the lost city. Their Sovereign, the Bourbon Philip V, whom the British soon recognised as lawful King of Spain, never ceased to regard them as the future burgesses of the fortress he daily mourned, and recognised the new municipality by Royal Patent as the Council, Tribunal, Officers and Gentlemen of the City of Gibraltar. To this day San Roque bears the arms and constitution of the Spanish City of Gibraltar in Exile.

When the Anglo Dutch fleet under Admiral Sir George Rooke occupied the Rock for England in 1704, the Spanish population, with a few exceptions, left Gibraltar and moved to San Roque, some miles inside Spain.

Numbers fell by the way victims to hunger and fatigue some reached Tarifa, Medina Sidonia, Ronda and other towns in the neighbourhood while many especially the authorities remained at St Roque keeping with them the archives of their ancient city.

Most of the civilians who left Gibraltar never returned. Of those who left, most settled in the town of San Roque, overlooking the Bay of Gibraltar. These individuals not only remained within sight of “the Rock” but preserved the traditions of Spanish Gibraltar, retaining the flag and the standard that was bestowed by Queen Isabella.

The bulk of those who left turned to the nearby town of San Roque, taking with them all oficial documents of Gibraltar. San Roque was regarded as temporary refuge for the exiled Gibraltarians; it received the right to bear the city arms of Gibraltar and was given the official denomination “La Ciudad de San Roque donde reside la muy noble y mas leal de Gibraltar”.

Notability of the exodus to San Roque
Hits in Google Books with "Gibraltar" in the title, "San Roque" and "1704" in the text and which explicitly mention the exodus to San Roque:


 * 'A journey to Gibraltar' (Mrs. Robert Henrey)
 * 'A New New English: language, politics, and identity in Gibraltar' (Anja Kellermann)
 * 'A popular history of Gibraltar, its institutions, and its neighbourhood on both sides of the Straits, and a guide book to their principal places and objects of interest' (Gilbard (George James, Lieut.-Colonel))
 * 'A red book on Gibraltar' (Spain. Minister of Foreign Affairs)
 * 'An introduction to the documents relating to the international status of Gibraltar, 1704-1934' (Wilbur Cortez Abbott)
 * 'Catálogo de la sección "Gibraltar" del Archivo Histórico Diocesano de Cádiz: 1518-1806' (Pablo Antón Solé)
 * 'Community and identity: the making of modern Gibraltar since 1704' (Stephen Constantine)
 * 'Das Leben und der Briefwechsel des Landgrafen Georg von Hessen-Darmstadt, des Eroberers und Vertheidigers von Gibraltar' (Heinrich Künzel)
 * 'Documents on Gibraltar: presented to the Spanish Cortes' (Spain. Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores)
 * 'El estrecho de Gibraltar: su función en la geopolítica nacional' (José Diaz de Villegas y Bustamente)
 * 'English and Spanish in Gibraltar ' (Dr. Johannes Kramer)
 * 'Espías en Gibraltar' (Enrique Arques)
 * 'Gibraltar and its people' (Philip Dennis)
 * 'Gibraltar ante la historia de España: compendio de los principales sucesos acaecidos en dicha ciudad, desde su fundación hasta nuestros días' (Juan del Álamo)
 * 'Gibraltar ante la historia' (Francisco Maria Tubino)
 * 'Gibraltar por la razón o la fuerza' (A. Gonzalo de Malvasía)
 * 'Gibraltar under Moor, Spaniar and Briton' (Edward Ranulph Kenyon)
 * 'Gibraltar y los españoles' (Gil Armangué Ríus)
 * 'Gibraltar y su campo: una economía deprimida' (Juan Velarde Fuertes)
 * 'Gibraltar, identity and empire' (Charles Carrington)
 * 'Gibraltar' (Edward G. Archer)
 * 'Gibraltar, la Roca de Calpe' (Ramón Ledesma Miranda)
 * 'Gibraltar: apuntes para la historia de la pérdida de esta plaza, de los sitios que le pusieron los españoles y de las negociaciones entre España e Inglaterra referentes a su restitución, 1704-1796' (Julián Juderías)
 * 'Gibraltar: British or Spanish?' (Peter Gold)
 * 'Gibraltar: historia de una usurpación' (Servicio Informativo Español)
 * 'Historia de Gibraltar' (Ignacio López de Ayala)
 * 'La España irredenta: Gibraltar' (Blas Piñar)
 * 'La Parroquia de Gibraltar en San Roque (documentos 1462-1853)' (Rafael Caldelas López)
 * 'La población de Gibraltar: sus orígenes, naturaleza y sentido' (Gumersindo Rico)
 * 'Los republicanos españoles y Gibraltar' (Mariano Granados)
 * 'Razones de España sobre Gibraltar' (Fernando María Castiella)
 * 'Rock of contention: a history of Gibraltar' (George Hills)
 * 'Southern Spain: with Gibraltar, Ceuta & Tangier' (Litellus Russell Muirhead)
 * 'The Dispute Over Gibraltar' (Melissa R. Jordine)
 * 'The Rock of the Gibraltarians: a history of Gibraltar' (Sir William Godfrey Fothergill Jackson – 1987)
 * 'The siege of Gibraltar, 1779-1783' (Tom Henderson McGuffie)
 * 'The story of Gibraltar: first outpost of empire' (Henry William Howes)

Benchmark on the notability of the exodus to San Roque in secondary sources
Benchmarks of relative notability of San Roque vis a vis other issues in the History section (searching in googlebooks): San Roque is between 2 and 9 times more covered by History of Gibraltar books than at least 9 other events currently (and undisputedly) included in the History section of the article:

San Roque: Number of books with the word "Gibraltar" in the title and "San Roque" in the text:
 * San Roque: 99 books (I've checked that 37 of them describe the historical episode of most inhabitants going from Gibraltar to San Roque)
 * San Roque: 16 books (with the word "History" in the title, as well as the word "Gibraltar"), 9 mention the exodus, 2 are about other issues and 5 are duplicated

Other episodes that are not disputed in the History section of the Gibraltar article:
 * Number of books with “Cordoba” (or “Cordova”) and 1474 in the text and “Gibraltar” in the title : 4
 * Number of books with “Trafalgar” and 1805 in the text and “Gibraltar” in the title: 33
 * Number of books with “Operation Felix” (or “Operación Felix”) in the text and “Gibraltar” in the title: 22
 * Number of books with “Suez” and “British Empire” in the text and “Gibraltar” in the title: 10
 * Number of books with “referendum” and “1967” in the text and “Gibraltar” in the title: 30

Other events that were described in the article at some point along the discussion, but never were disputed by the editors wanting to remove the mention to San Roque: Number of books with the word "Gibraltar" in the title and a keyword relative to the event in the text:
 * Abd al-Mumin or Abd al-Mu'min: 7 books
 * Pedro de Herrera: 1 book
 * HMS Arethusa: 1 book
 * HMS Hunter: 1 book
 * Deutschland: 13 books
 * Guernica: 4 books
 * Endymion: 6 books
 * Jose Luis Diez: 6 books
 * Sikorski: 6 books