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The
place of origin of the Estrada surname
"...From
the place of its name" - so say the origins of the surname
Estrada and, in effect, there is a place in the North of Spain,
close to San Vicente de la Barquera (nearest big city is
Santander), a few kilometers from the Cantabrian Coast, that has
that name and is recognized as the place where the surname
originated.
The place is the property of the Marquis of Canillejas, Count of
the Vega de Sella and Grandee (peer) of Spain, who descends from
the Duque de Estrada family.
In 1992
the Tower of Estrada was declared a Landmark of Cultural Interest. |
| The
Autonomous Community of Cantabria has published this touristic map
of the Municipality of Val de San Vicente in which the Tower of
Estrada is a tourist feature.
|
 |
| History
and Art in the Municipality of Val de San Vicente, related to
Estrada:
"Several interesting
monuments from medieval times are conserved. The tower-fortress of
the Estrada family, in Estrada, is a complex made up of a defensive
tower, walls and a chapel, all from the VIII to the XIV centuries, with gothic elements
like the pointed frontal access to the chapel.
From the XVI century we
can cite as an example of civil arquitecture the mountain house of
the locality of Estrada, which has been much reformed in later
centuries." |
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LA ESTRADA
There is a place in Galicia, Spain,
near Santiago de Compostela, nearer Pontevedra and close to
Portugal, that is called "La Estrada." Some people
confuse this as the place of origin of the surname, but those who
venture there are soon sorry for having wasted their time. In that
instance, La Estrada means merely "The Road."
La Estrada is on the main road maps
(Estrada is not), so many Estrada who have searched for the place
of origin have actually "found" the wrong place. |
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But the confusion goes
further, as in Spain there are many places that carry that same name,
as we can see from the table below: |
| Name: |
Category: |
County: |
Judicial
District: |
Population
in 1940: |
| Estrada |
Small Village |
Cervantes |
Becerrea |
50 |
| Estrada |
Small Village |
Monforte
de Lemos (Marcelle) |
Monforte
de Lemos |
71 |
| Estrada |
Small Village |
Pantón
(Eiré) |
Monforte
de Lemos |
19 |
| Estrada |
Small Village |
Pantón
(Ferreira) |
Monforte
de Lemos |
18 |
| Estrada |
Small Village |
Pantón
(Mañente) |
Monforte
de Lemos |
18 |
| Estrada |
Hamlet |
Puertomarín
(Cortapezas) |
Chantada |
6 |
| Estrada |
Place |
Creciente
(Ribera) |
La
Cañiza |
18 |
| Estrada |
Place |
Gondomar
(Donas) |
Vigo |
32 |
| Estrada |
Place |
Gondomar
(Gondomar) |
Vigo |
62 |
| Estrada |
Hamlet |
Tomiño
(Curras) |
Tuy |
37 |
| Estrada |
Place |
Tuy
(Malvas) |
Tuy |
92 |
| Estrada |
Place |
Tuy
(Randufe) |
Tuy |
263 |
| Estrada |
Place |
Val
de San Vicente |
San
Vicente de la Barquera |
42 |
| Estrada |
Hamlet |
Gueñes |
Valmaseda |
46 |
| Estrada
(La) |
Small Village |
Agullana |
Figueras |
49 |
| Estrada
(La) |
Small Village |
Cangas
de Onís (Abamia) |
Oviedo |
43 |
| Estrada
(La) |
Hamlet |
Aller
(Boo) |
Lena |
43 |
| Estrada
(La) |
Judicial
District |
--- |
La
Estrada |
41.695 |
| Estrada
(La) |
Municipality |
La
Estrada |
La
Estrada |
27.240 |
| Estrada
(La) |
Village |
La
Estrada |
La
Estrada |
2.100 |
| Estrada
(La) |
Parrish |
La
Estrada |
La
Estrada |
2.467 |
| Estrada
de la Trapa |
Place |
Salas
(Linares) |
Belmonte |
85 |
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The land where the place of Estrada is located
in Val de San Vicente has belonged to the Duque de Estrada family for
many generations. The Surname
Dictionary of the Heraldic and Genealogical Encyclopædia clarifies
the relationship between these two surnames:
"The surnames Estrada and Duque were separate in their origin
and had independent parcels of land, deriving from them many
branches without relationship or kinship. In ancient times, a
branch of the Duque surname linked with a branch of the Estrada surname
(that owned the Estrada parcel of land), and that linkage
was the origin of the formation of the powerful family with the
composed surname Duque de Estrada." In this instance
Duque is not a nobiliary title, but a surname. |
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|
The coat of
arms of the Duque de Estrada surname is one of alliance, so it
includes those of the Estrada and Duque surnames (in that order,
viewed from the front, Estrada left - Duque right). The coat of arms has the armor headpiece
and crown of counts, which correspond to the title of Count of the
Vega de Sella. The Count is a Spanish Grandee (a peer) by reason of
his title of Marquis of Canillejas, therefore
the headpiece, which for counts should normally be directed in a 45°
angle to its right, is directed to the front. For some reason,
probably because of the wealth derived from it, the family gives as
much importance to the title of Count as to that of Marquis, which
is heraldically superior.
The
surname Duque de Estrada |
| The
place is not found on the regular road maps and it is necessary to
find it in the local road maps of the Partido de San Vicente de la
Barquera (Zona: Saja-Nansa), or those with much detail of the
Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Urbanismo of Spain. The road that
leads to Estrada has little traffic and the surface is not in good
condition. However, in its time it seems to have been an important
road. Picture taken in 1983. |
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|
Southern view of the Tower, in 1983
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The
Tower of Estrada c. 1983.
This
tower in ruins is the birthplace of the surname Estrada. The place
is close to San Vicente de la Barquera, in the North-Central coast
of Spain. In 1983, the year this picture was taken, the emplacement was in
ruins, including the chapel. The whole area was covered with vegetation.
According
to historical evidence, this is the place where the surname
originated in the last third of the First Millenium of our era,
between the VIII and IX centuries, and
from this place the children parted to spread the seed in the rest
of Spain, Europe, the New World and all five continents.
This
tower is the focal point of the surname. The
municipality of San Vicente decided to restore the emplacement as it was
considered a place of cultural interest.
In the following linked articles you will be able to learn about this
process. Article
about the Tower and its declaration as a place of cultural interest The
Tower in restoration Virtual
tour of the
Tower's emplacement in 2004 Inauguration
of the works, in 2006 Virtual
tour of the
Tower's emplacement in 2006 |
| From
all the roads that surround the place you can see the Tower of
Estrada. It is a point that dominates its surroundings and whoever
watched from its top, could easily know what happened all arround
it.
View
from the East. |
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|
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There
are some buildings in the place. Some are living quarters and most
are agricultural service buildings. c. 1983.
The Tower is to the right of this house, seen from the South. |
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