The theft of some roses (more than one rose) from the garden of the Palau dels Marquesos, which caused admiration with their beauty.
We find in the municipal archive a file of criminal actions for having climbed the orchard and the garden of the Palace that overlooks the Plaza and having stolen all the roses from the garden which were then planted on the doors of the town's houses. The event occurred on the night of Sunday, May 7, 1758.
The file is created ex officio by the lawyer of the Royal Councils Governor and Chief Justice of the town of Albaida, Mr. Francisco Marau. The clerk of the file was Francisco Pont y Andrés and the bailiff was Pedro Moya. They look for witnesses who did it, to ask and re-ask about the deed, the pleasure and the punishment
The first witness is Pedro Tormo de Francisco
Plowman in charge of the palace gardens. Pedro says that on the 8th he saw roses and baladre leaves on the doors of several houses in the village. He also saw that in the corner of the garden in the small part of the square there were signs and footprints of mud on the wall both inside and outside and also in the moist soil of the garden. They were man's shoe prints. He has heard that they saw 4 cops (Batiste, Josep, Ramon, Vicent) in the vicinity of the lodge, on the evening of the 7th.
Second witness, Vicente Monzó, teacher I will be.
He says that on the door of his house in addition to the roses and leaves of baladre there was a great dirt of human excrement. He has also heard the same thing that Pedro has said and that he assumes it is them because Batiste is flirting with the daughter of one of the affected neighbors because they saw them go to the mountains to look for wild animals in the ravines.
Third witness, Pedro's wife.
He says that on the evening of the 7th he saw 3 village policemen and a stranger strolling through the garden and shouted at them to get out, but that he does not know who did the mischief. The judge calls the mentioned 4 police officers (two minors) to appear and testify.
The judge calls the mentioned 4 police officers (two minors) to appear and testify.
Ramon, he says he doesn't know anything...
Of the theft of the roses or of entering the garden of the palace and that he did not leave the town, going through the streets playing a viola (vihuela) with a certain Felix and others. Then he rectifies and says that Santa Anna went to win the Jubilee, without leaving the road, with Batiste and Vicent. That when he went home to sleep, the door of the house was ajar and no one opened it for him because the family and the Trinitarian friar Joan were talking at the entrance to the house.
Joseph, he doesn't know anything either...
He spent the evening in the streets "tañiendo una viuela" (sic) until late at night. Batiste, who also knows nothing, also confirms the fact that he went to Santa Anna to win the Jubilee and that he spent the rest of the evening playing ball. Then he was playing the viola with that Felix and other people until eleven at night.
Vicent also says he doesn't know anything...
He declares that he was in the convent of Santa Anna. The rest of the evening was in the Placeta de la Vila watching them play ball and then he was with Felix and other people playing the viola. They ask him who opened the door of his house to go to sleep. He says no one because the key was hidden in the portal. He confesses that in the evening they walked through the palace gardens.
They call on more people to testify about the events of the robbery:
Francesc (younger, brother of Vicent), Caterina (wife of Joan and mother of the boy Ramon), Joan (brother of Ramon), Fèlix (the viola musician, resident of the city of Xàtiva, then called Sant Felip) and Antonia (servant maid of Joseph's house).
Discussed and done, convicted
Josep, Batiste, Fèlix, Ramon and Vicent to be kept in prison in the room of their respective houses without going out; because they are penalized until May 17 and have to pay the costs of the process and face a more rigorous punishment in the future.
Francisco Marau Albinyana
He was a lawyer for the Royal Councils, mayor and chief justice for eighteen years in the towns of Bunyol, Albaida and places of the Marquis of Albaida, exercising the position by appointment by the lord; he also held the position of councilor in his hometown, l'Olleria, for three years. He married Maria Rosa Bru Pérez and from the marriage the brothers Antonio and Estanislao Marau Bru were born. The first, who is the one who applies for the title of nobility. The two brothers are key to understanding the origin of Casa Santonja or Palau dels Marau and the possible connection of the family with freemasonry. We are, therefore, in front of a family very close to power, well placed on the social scale, belonging to that local oligarchy that was so common in eighteenth-century Spain and that carried out its duties from the militia or from the toga services to the Crown as its loyal employee, in exchange for privileges, hereditary positions, favors and income from land or administrative concessions.
arrova
Weight unit equivalent to 12,800 kg.
viola
A stringed musical instrument played with a bow, similar to the violin but larger and with a deeper sound. Maybe leg, hand or wheel.
criminal justice
Criminal magistrate of the Kingdom of Valencia from 1321 until the promulgation of the decrees of Nova Planta.
Valencian ball
Indigenous Valencian sport in which two teams hit the ball with their hands following certain rules. It is played in the street or on the ratchet.
