The aim of this work is to explore the family background of craftsmen in southern Italy during the 18th century. Particular emphasis is placed on the household type and size of the craftsman's family, on the passing down of the trade from father to son, on marriage policies and on family strategies. The archive sources used are the catasti onciari for 29 communities in the south of mainland Italy, along with legal documents (wills and marriage contracts). The craftsman's family was typically a small, nuclear family-household made up of the parents and few children: in other words it was similar to the families in other sectors of the population. Differences regarding family, marriage and the control of the business emerge for certain highly specialised craftsmen. The families of craftsmen working with copper and clay were in fact closely bound by blood and marriage, and, as a result of the fact that in many cases they were economically prosperous, tended to resemble, in terms of both family behaviour and strategy, the higher social classes of the ancien régime, such as professionals and nobles. The richest copper and ceramic craftsmen were often the heads of extended and multiple families-households, they had a large number of children, and often employed servants. The main objectives of these particular professional groups were the handing down of the trade from father to son, protection of their social and economic position, and geographic and social endogamy.
Gli artigiani nel Mezzogiorno d'Italia nel XVIII secolo: modelli differenziali della famiglia, del matrimonio e del controllo degli assetti produttivi
DA MOLIN, Giovanna;CARBONE, Angela
2009-01-01
Abstract
The aim of this work is to explore the family background of craftsmen in southern Italy during the 18th century. Particular emphasis is placed on the household type and size of the craftsman's family, on the passing down of the trade from father to son, on marriage policies and on family strategies. The archive sources used are the catasti onciari for 29 communities in the south of mainland Italy, along with legal documents (wills and marriage contracts). The craftsman's family was typically a small, nuclear family-household made up of the parents and few children: in other words it was similar to the families in other sectors of the population. Differences regarding family, marriage and the control of the business emerge for certain highly specialised craftsmen. The families of craftsmen working with copper and clay were in fact closely bound by blood and marriage, and, as a result of the fact that in many cases they were economically prosperous, tended to resemble, in terms of both family behaviour and strategy, the higher social classes of the ancien régime, such as professionals and nobles. The richest copper and ceramic craftsmen were often the heads of extended and multiple families-households, they had a large number of children, and often employed servants. The main objectives of these particular professional groups were the handing down of the trade from father to son, protection of their social and economic position, and geographic and social endogamy.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
