«The Memórias Paroquiais (Parish Memories) are an essential source for obtaining a radiography of Portugal in 1758-1761. They correspond to a survey, organized in 3 major parts (the locality itself, the mountain and the river), which was printed and sent to those responsible for the dioceses of the country, by notice (aviso) of the Kingdom’s Secretary of State of 18 January 1758. Following the tradition of other earlier examples, the inquire was limited to the Kingdom and not even the Atlantic Islands were comprised.

The survey included a total of 60 questions: 27 questions about the locality, 13 about the mountain and 20 other about the river. Not surprisingly, the parish priests only responded to what suited their territory. The questions were not limited to historical aspects; they inquired about administrative and jurisdictional (ecclesiastical and secular) issues, demographic data, major ’fruits of the locality’, fairs, 1755 earthquake impact, existence of seaport or ramparts. This is about the land or the parish itself. Data about the mountains is fundamental for a study of the natural landscape and the use of resources (they asked about size of the mountains, rivers, special water source, medicinal herbs, mines, lagoons, villages, monasteries and churches). On the river part, the detail was also great: size and dexterity of flow, navigability, direction of the current, fish and fishery related activities, bridges, mills, and cultivation of the margins, etc.
And each of the three parts closed with an open request: ’And all that is worthy of memory’ and was not included in the survey. It was an invitation to describe what was specific and relevant about each place.»

in Excavating the Data Pit: the Portuguese Parish Memories (1758) as a Gold Standard