Spanish Gibraltarians
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The term Spanish Gibraltarians, variously refers to people of Spanish ethnicity associated with Gibraltar. The expression does not have any legal meaning, as the Gibraltarians are by definition British Citizens.
The term has been used to describe those inhabitants of Gibraltar who left the town of Gibraltar during the British conquest of this town from Spain, see history of San Roque. 4000 inhabitants of Gibraltar who left the town in 1704 - the vast majority of Gibraltar's population at that time. Nevertheless, the use of this term is controversial, particularly in Gibraltar, where it can be seen as a way of legitimising the Spanish government's claim on the territory.
Their descendants may be found mainly in San Roque and La Línea de la Concepción - what is known as the "Campo de Gibraltar", as well as in Algeciras and Los Barrios. They may also be found in Gibraltar probably due to later immigration from these neighbouring towns, as well as intermarriage between modern-day Gibraltarians and Spanish nationals. Most of the descendants of these former inhabitants do not form any tight community and are now dispersed throughout southern Spain. However the memory of their origins is maintained particularly in San Roque, where 90 families originating in Gibraltar have founded an association called Heirs of Gibraltar.1 This association is also widely suspected in Gibraltar of being part of a wider political campaign related to the Anglo-Spanish dispute over Gibraltar.
Spanish Gibraltarians also refers to the small number of Gibraltarians who decided to stay on the territory after British occupation as well as those people from Spain and their descendents who immigrated into the territory during the 18th, 19th and 20th century. In 1816, for example, Spaniards still constituted 28% of the total population of Gibraltar (11,401). Nevertheless, by 1840 the number of Spanish nationals was drastically reduced to 14% of the total, largely due to Governor Wooford (1838-1842) who reduced the number of residence permits granted to foreigners. This, together with the cheaper accommodation available in the adjacent town of La Línea de la Concepción, led to a large number of Gibraltarians relocating to this town. Nevertheless, immigration from Spain and intermarriage with Spaniards from neighbouring towns (particularly among the working class) continued until the spanish dictator General Franco closed the border in the 1960s.
Many Gibraltarians such as fashion designer John Galliano, are the product of intermarriage between a Spanish national and a Gibraltarian. Indeed, one of the worst ways in which the closure of the border by Franco affected Gibraltarians was by cutting them off from their relatives in Spain. Throughout the period of the embargo, Gibraltarians could be seen every night climbing onto the fence which divided Spain and Gibraltar and shouting as the only way of communicating with their families on the other side.2 For a history of Spanish immigration into Gibraltar see :3
The term Spanish Gibraltarian has also been used (and arguably incorrectly), in the UK, to refer to those Gibraltarians who commonly speak Spanish, irrespective of nationality and ethnic origin.4
The earliest documented use of this term was made by Colonel Thomsett of the RAMC, who was in Gibraltar in 1890, and classified Gibraltarians as either 'those who had been to London' and spoke English, and Spanish Gibraltarians, those who could hardly muster a few words in English. This at a time when only around 3% of Gibraltarians had been to England. 5 Nevertheless, considering the political hostility which developed in the latter half of the 20th century between the Spanish state and the territory amongst Gibraltarians, this term has lost much of its meaning nowadays and could even be deemed politically incorrect to most Gibraltarians.
[edit] References
- Spaniards in Gibraltar after the Treat of Utrecht, Tito Benady, Transborder Institute of the Straights of Gibraltar. A history of Spanish immigration to Gibraltar from the Treaty of Utrecht to the present day. 1
- Cronica, El Mundo. Article appeared on Spanish journal El Mundo, October 2002 on the Heirs of Gibraltar Association in San Roque, Spain. 2
- Official website of Town Council of San Roque, Cadiz, offering a historical account of the alleged Spanish Gibraltarians who founded the city. 3
- Vogue Magazine, describing John Galliano as Spanish Gibraltarian.4
- Article in the Daily Telegraph on Gregory Burke's play "The Straights", in which he depicts his childhood as an English expatriate in Gibraltar. Burke describes the rivalry between the local "Spanish Gibraltarian" and British services teenagers.5
