Documentos Particulares do Núcleo Antigo
Item
Country
PT
Name of institution (English)
The National Archive of Torre do Tombo
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
por
Contact information: postal address
Alameda da Universidade, 1649-010 Lisbon
Contact information: phone number
00351 210037100
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
mail@dglab.gov.pt
Reference number
PT/TT/DPNA
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Private Documents of the Old Collection
Title (official language of the state)
Documentos Particulares do Núcleo Antigo
Language of title
por
Creator / accumulator
Arquivo da Casa da Coroa / Arquivo Nacional Torre do Tombo
Date(s)
1249/1770
Language(s)
lat
por
Extent
6 books
Type of material
Textual Material
Physical condition
Good
Scope and content
The Documentos Particulares do Núcleo Antigo collection comprises six books from diverse provenances and subjects: a 13th-century cartulary recording the assets of D. João Peres de Aboim, "mordomo" (steward) of King Afonso III, including the foral (city charter) of Portel, from 1262; an enrollment book of College of Santa Cruz of Coimbra's students; inventory books of assets of the monastery of São Pedro de Pedrosa in Lafões and the church of São Miguel de Arcos; the inventory of D. Luís da Cunha's "casais" (rural properties) in the villages of Açores and Forno do Telheiro (Celorico da Beira) and Baraçal (Sabugal); and a ledger book of the Misericórdia of Porto. The first above-mentioned book, the "Livro do registo das cartas dos bens e heranças que D. João de Portel teve nestes reinos" (PT/TT/DPNA/201) contains a reference to a Jewish couple from Torres Vedras, D. Moisés and D. Aviziboa, who sold an estate in Bolelas, in Sintra's outskirts, that they had acquired from another Jewish couple, Afia and Citi, for 300 pounds. This sale deed dates from 1272 (fol. 61). A digital copy of this book is available online.
We would like to thank Isabel de Luna, curator of the Museu Municipal Leonel Trindade in Torres Vedras, for the information on this reference.
We would like to thank Isabel de Luna, curator of the Museu Municipal Leonel Trindade in Torres Vedras, for the information on this reference.
Archival history
The origins and history of this collection are generally unknown. However, it is clear the intention of gathering private records that, for diverse reasons, were part of the Arquivo da Casa da Coroa (Royal Archive) fonds for a very long time. The oldest document of this collection (the 13th-century cartulary of D. João Peres Aboim's assets) is mentioned in an inventory of the archive composed in 1529. Other documents were also part of the Royal Archive since it was established in one of the towers of São Jorge's castle. However, the organisation of these records in one collection did not occur before the mid-20th century, when João Martins da Silva Marques, the director of the Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo from 1950 to 1960, created the Núcleo Antigo fonds, including the documents catalogued in an inventory composed in 1776. The Documentos Particulares collection was then incorporated in the Núcleo Antigo.
Administrative / Biographical history
The Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo is one of Portugal's oldest institutions. Its origins go back at least to the 14th century. The royal documents used to follow the itinerant medieval court, with only the most important documents being held at different monasteries. Once the court established itself in Lisbon, so did the royal archives. The first documental reference to a set location is from 1378. The archive was kept in one of the towers of São Jorge Castle, hence its name Torre do Tombo (Tower of the Archive). The "guarda-mor" (high-guardian) was responsible for its safekeeping.
Until 1755, the Torre do Tombo functioned as the Crown's archive, serving the king's administration and granting certificates to institutions and individuals. The oldest record reporting its organisation and content is from 1526: a letter from Tomé Lopes to King João III that mentions 149 books of Chancellery records and 47 of the so-called Leitura Nova (a compilation of copies of old documents ordered by King Manuel I).
In the 16th century, with the growing centralisation and the greater strength and complexity of the State, Torre do Tombo became a real State archive. Monarchs took notice of the archive, as they understood the importance of the relation between information and power. Some documents from other areas of the central administration were incorporated into the archive. Torre do Tombo became a reference, even serving as an example to Philip II of Spain when regulating the Archive of Simancas.
The first indexes of the archive were created during the 17th and 18th centuries, as the interest in these documents increased and their reorganisation was ongoing. A 1702 index, most likely created by João Duarte Lisboa, responsible for the archive’s reformation, reveals that, in 1656, the archive was arranged in 15 “armários” (cabinets). Twenty years later, the archive had five more “armários”.
In 1755, the tower of the castle was destroyed in the Great Earthquake. The documents were then temporarily saved in a woodshed and, two years later, partly transferred to the monastery of São Bento da Saúde in Lisbon. The papers were then reorganised, and several copies were made. The new organisation did not follow the old methods; instead, it followed the logic of the enlightened 18th century, favouring a methodical and chronological order. The confusion between sections, series, collections, and fonds is noticeable, and the archive's organic structure was unclear, which certainly illustrated how the Crown's institutions were arranged and functioned. Many documents were lost in this new reorganisation and, even with the information given by the indexes, the original structure is still somewhat unclear.
The 18th century also brought a new way of looking at history and a new value to these documents. That explains the incorporation of the Society of Jesus' records in 1768, following the expulsion of the Jesuits from Portugal. It was one of the first examples of the incorporation in the Crown's archives of documents produced by other institutions. After the Liberal Revolution, these incorporations became customary, collecting records of old courts and religious corporations. In 1823, the royal archive changed its name to Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (National Archive of Torre do Tombo), making it clear that it was not only an archive of the Crown but of the whole nation. However, there was no active will or ability to enable its access and to explore its documents, as the focus was only on their compilation.
The beginning of the 20th century and the establishment of the Republic in 1911 did not bring many new developments, as well as the dictatorship (1926-1974). In the 1950s, an effort was made by the director, João Martins da Silva Marques, to reorganise the documentation, leading to the creation of the Núcleo Antigo (Old Core) collection. Throughout the 20th century, many collections and documents were added to the archive, coming from different public and private institutions.
In 1990, the archives moved to a new building made specifically for that purpose, where they are still located today. In more recent years, part of the fonds and collections were rearranged to match the original organisation. For instance, the Núcleo Antigo was disassembled, creating new fonds and collections, and incorporating other documents into already existing ones.
Until 1755, the Torre do Tombo functioned as the Crown's archive, serving the king's administration and granting certificates to institutions and individuals. The oldest record reporting its organisation and content is from 1526: a letter from Tomé Lopes to King João III that mentions 149 books of Chancellery records and 47 of the so-called Leitura Nova (a compilation of copies of old documents ordered by King Manuel I).
In the 16th century, with the growing centralisation and the greater strength and complexity of the State, Torre do Tombo became a real State archive. Monarchs took notice of the archive, as they understood the importance of the relation between information and power. Some documents from other areas of the central administration were incorporated into the archive. Torre do Tombo became a reference, even serving as an example to Philip II of Spain when regulating the Archive of Simancas.
The first indexes of the archive were created during the 17th and 18th centuries, as the interest in these documents increased and their reorganisation was ongoing. A 1702 index, most likely created by João Duarte Lisboa, responsible for the archive’s reformation, reveals that, in 1656, the archive was arranged in 15 “armários” (cabinets). Twenty years later, the archive had five more “armários”.
In 1755, the tower of the castle was destroyed in the Great Earthquake. The documents were then temporarily saved in a woodshed and, two years later, partly transferred to the monastery of São Bento da Saúde in Lisbon. The papers were then reorganised, and several copies were made. The new organisation did not follow the old methods; instead, it followed the logic of the enlightened 18th century, favouring a methodical and chronological order. The confusion between sections, series, collections, and fonds is noticeable, and the archive's organic structure was unclear, which certainly illustrated how the Crown's institutions were arranged and functioned. Many documents were lost in this new reorganisation and, even with the information given by the indexes, the original structure is still somewhat unclear.
The 18th century also brought a new way of looking at history and a new value to these documents. That explains the incorporation of the Society of Jesus' records in 1768, following the expulsion of the Jesuits from Portugal. It was one of the first examples of the incorporation in the Crown's archives of documents produced by other institutions. After the Liberal Revolution, these incorporations became customary, collecting records of old courts and religious corporations. In 1823, the royal archive changed its name to Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (National Archive of Torre do Tombo), making it clear that it was not only an archive of the Crown but of the whole nation. However, there was no active will or ability to enable its access and to explore its documents, as the focus was only on their compilation.
The beginning of the 20th century and the establishment of the Republic in 1911 did not bring many new developments, as well as the dictatorship (1926-1974). In the 1950s, an effort was made by the director, João Martins da Silva Marques, to reorganise the documentation, leading to the creation of the Núcleo Antigo (Old Core) collection. Throughout the 20th century, many collections and documents were added to the archive, coming from different public and private institutions.
In 1990, the archives moved to a new building made specifically for that purpose, where they are still located today. In more recent years, part of the fonds and collections were rearranged to match the original organisation. For instance, the Núcleo Antigo was disassembled, creating new fonds and collections, and incorporating other documents into already existing ones.
Access points: locations
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
Records are arranged chronologically.
Access, restrictions
Access without restrictions, except for documents in poor physical condition or available in alternative formats (microfilm or digital copies).
Finding aids
Typewritten catalogues available in the Torre do Tombo:
Farinha, Maria do Carmo Jasmins Dias, and Ó Ramos, Maria de Fátima Dentinho. 1995. "Núcleo Antigo: inventário". Inventory (L 574).
Instituto dos Arquivos Nacionais / Torre do Tombo. 1994. "Inventário da documentação guardada na Casa Forte" (Inventory of the documentation preserved in the Casa Forte) (L. 573).
Published finding aids:
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2021
Published primary sources
Linked resources
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