Grandmother, Birth Assistant, Godmother. Grandparents and Newborns in a Spanish Mountain Village (Pedro Bernardo, Ávila, 1850-1861)

Where a grandmother was alive, she took a very active part in the care of her grandchildren, from the very beginning of their existence. There is considerable evidence for this thesis from Castilian rural communities, rooted in longstanding modes of life and with family structures that encouraged c...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wolfram Aichinger, Walburga Plunger
Format: Article
Language:Spanish
Published: Universidad de Navarra 2025-06-01
Series:Memoria y Civilización
Subjects:
Online Access:https://revistas.unav.edu/index.php/myc/article/view/51187
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849425056906608640
author Wolfram Aichinger
Walburga Plunger
author_facet Wolfram Aichinger
Walburga Plunger
author_sort Wolfram Aichinger
collection DOAJ
description Where a grandmother was alive, she took a very active part in the care of her grandchildren, from the very beginning of their existence. There is considerable evidence for this thesis from Castilian rural communities, rooted in longstanding modes of life and with family structures that encouraged close interaction between the generations. Drawing on mid-19th century parish registers from Pedro Bernardo (Ávila) this case study analyses the ratio of grandparents who were alive or dead at the baptism of their grandchildren. Data thus obtained show that most grandchildren stood a chance to know their grandparents, with a predominance of the maternal line and of women over men. These findings are consistent with evidence on grandmothers being closely attached to their children’s children and of early symbolic ties created through baptism and the choice of a grandparent’s name for the newborn.
format Article
id doaj-art-b1969bac2a82446aa0f3eaa5a0334996
institution Kabale University
issn 1139-0107
2254-6367
language Spanish
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Universidad de Navarra
record_format Article
series Memoria y Civilización
spelling doaj-art-b1969bac2a82446aa0f3eaa5a03349962025-08-20T03:29:53ZspaUniversidad de NavarraMemoria y Civilización1139-01072254-63672025-06-0128110.15581/001.28.1.007Grandmother, Birth Assistant, Godmother. Grandparents and Newborns in a Spanish Mountain Village (Pedro Bernardo, Ávila, 1850-1861)Wolfram Aichinger0Walburga Plunger1Institut für Romanistik, Universität Wien, Spitalgasse 2, 1090 Wien, ÖsterreichInstitut für Romanistik, Universität Wien , Spitalgasse 2, 1090 Wien, Österreich Where a grandmother was alive, she took a very active part in the care of her grandchildren, from the very beginning of their existence. There is considerable evidence for this thesis from Castilian rural communities, rooted in longstanding modes of life and with family structures that encouraged close interaction between the generations. Drawing on mid-19th century parish registers from Pedro Bernardo (Ávila) this case study analyses the ratio of grandparents who were alive or dead at the baptism of their grandchildren. Data thus obtained show that most grandchildren stood a chance to know their grandparents, with a predominance of the maternal line and of women over men. These findings are consistent with evidence on grandmothers being closely attached to their children’s children and of early symbolic ties created through baptism and the choice of a grandparent’s name for the newborn. https://revistas.unav.edu/index.php/myc/article/view/51187Pedro Bernardo (Ávila)19th centurypaternal and maternal grandparentsdeath in baptismal recordsbirthpostpartum care
spellingShingle Wolfram Aichinger
Walburga Plunger
Grandmother, Birth Assistant, Godmother. Grandparents and Newborns in a Spanish Mountain Village (Pedro Bernardo, Ávila, 1850-1861)
Memoria y Civilización
Pedro Bernardo (Ávila)
19th century
paternal and maternal grandparents
death in baptismal records
birth
postpartum care
title Grandmother, Birth Assistant, Godmother. Grandparents and Newborns in a Spanish Mountain Village (Pedro Bernardo, Ávila, 1850-1861)
title_full Grandmother, Birth Assistant, Godmother. Grandparents and Newborns in a Spanish Mountain Village (Pedro Bernardo, Ávila, 1850-1861)
title_fullStr Grandmother, Birth Assistant, Godmother. Grandparents and Newborns in a Spanish Mountain Village (Pedro Bernardo, Ávila, 1850-1861)
title_full_unstemmed Grandmother, Birth Assistant, Godmother. Grandparents and Newborns in a Spanish Mountain Village (Pedro Bernardo, Ávila, 1850-1861)
title_short Grandmother, Birth Assistant, Godmother. Grandparents and Newborns in a Spanish Mountain Village (Pedro Bernardo, Ávila, 1850-1861)
title_sort grandmother birth assistant godmother grandparents and newborns in a spanish mountain village pedro bernardo avila 1850 1861
topic Pedro Bernardo (Ávila)
19th century
paternal and maternal grandparents
death in baptismal records
birth
postpartum care
url https://revistas.unav.edu/index.php/myc/article/view/51187
work_keys_str_mv AT wolframaichinger grandmotherbirthassistantgodmothergrandparentsandnewbornsinaspanishmountainvillagepedrobernardoavila18501861
AT walburgaplunger grandmotherbirthassistantgodmothergrandparentsandnewbornsinaspanishmountainvillagepedrobernardoavila18501861