What is a Gibraltarian?

by Tito Vallejo

What is a Gibraltarian?

Being one is being part of a select club and in effect encompasses anyone who has been born here. The turbulent history of the Rock means that there is a stark difference between an inhabitant and a native of the Rock. Many have marched in and out but their offspring, born here, are the ones who can claim to be natives.

One of the first vaguely human natives of the Rock, Gibraltar Woman, refers to a Neanderthal skull found in 1848 in Forbe's Quarry. Other more modern races are known to have used the Rock as a handy shelter when following herds but probably didn't settle here for long periods. A little less human, but possibly the oldest inhabitants of the Rock, are the Gibraltar Macaques; references in the bible point towards apes being shipped to Jerusalem from here by King Hiram, a forerunner of the Phoenicians.

Despite all this activity, it seems the Rock was not formerly inhabited until Tarik Ibn Zeyad began his conquest of the Iberian peninsula in 711 AD. Seeing the potential of the Rock to be a formidable fortress, he made the Rock his stronghold naming it Djebel Al Fath (Mountain of Victory). This name later became Djebel Tarik (Mountain of the Path) not in honour of Tarik himself, (as Islamic law forbids the naming of things after people or animals), but in commemoration of the spread of Islam through the Rock's influence. After 700 years of mostly peaceful and productive coexistence, this 'Golden Age' was cut short by the Spanish 'Reconquista' which captured the Rock in 1462 on the feast of St. Bernard, hence him being the patron saint of Gibraltar ever since.

During the times of the Spanish inquisition the Rock belonged to the Duke of Medina Sidonia who found it hard to populate due to frequent attacks from Arab Barbary Corsairs from across the Strait. At first he resorted to marketing Gibraltar as a kind of 'Dodge City' where one could escape the law and the like but later he accepted an offer from a group of Spanish Jews to buy the Rock. These Jews exerted their influence on the enduring history of the Rock by building extensively in their effort to reinvigorate what was a severely dilapidated town. This all came to an end however when eight years later the Duke decided to take back what he saw as his by force.

Feigning an attack on Northern Africa, he marched an army onto the Rock under the guise of relieving Spanish Ceuta across the Strait, which was under siege. Instead, he simply took possession of the Rock once more and ejected its former residents.

After a brief period of stagnation as a penal colony the Rock, now a crown possession, became a centre for winemaking and tuna fishing. With this new peaceful existence came a plethora of Christian buildings such as churches and convents which belonged to various Holy Orders. These existed in part due to the need for readily available ransom money for kidnapping Christians that became a great source of revenue for Barbary pirates. This pattern of existence persisted for almost two centuries until the British turned with some muscle.

In 1704 a combined Anglo-Dutch fleet took the Rock, not for Holland or Britain, but in the name of Charles of Austria, a pretender to the Spanish throne. Despite this, British ownership was formalised in 1713 under the treaty of Utrecht. Gibraltar's new tentative position, being adjoining a hostile nation, meant hurried and extensive reinforcement was carried out. Many of the products of this feverish period of construction can still be seen today in the form of battlements, batteries, barracks and walls.

Jews and Arabs were once again allowed to reside on the Rock; although the Treaty forbade their presence, it only stipulated that this should be the case "inside the city walls" so small colonies were set up by these peoples near Europa and the South district.

As the Spanish route was now closed, Gibraltar established new supply links with Genoa. Many Genoese settled on the Rock along with some Spanish and Portuguese workers.

Throughout the life of the Garrison there have always been families of soldiers present. Historically this meant camp followers. These were unmarried women and illegitimate children who followed around their chosen soldier wherever he may be posted. This is believed to be the origin of the 'Irish Town' in Gibraltar.

After a number of sieges fortifications had to be repaired, hard labour which attracted many Portuguese masons. In the meantime the Napoleonic War resulted in many ship captures in the Mediterranean and Atlantic which meant prize monies for Gibraltar. The increased military presence also meant increased trade between the garrison and the civilian population. Once Spain broke her alliance with France many Spaniards flocked to Gibraltar for the extra work, many of whom ended up repairing what they had helped destroy in the first place.

More Genoese were to arrive as Genoa was taken over by the French and conscription introduced; Gibraltar became the deserters haven of choice. Maltese and Indian Immigrants were first seen on the Rock after 1873 when the British decided to limit the number of foreigners on the Rock and only allow permits of residence for 'British' subjects. The population was further bolstered by a sudden influx of Spaniards when the building of the dockyard created huge demand for labour. This is also the period when intermarriage between British military personnel and women of other nationalities, especially Spanish women began to build relationships. The final addition to this genetic mix came when the border was closed by Franco, the trend for marrying Spanish women abated just as intermarriages between the other nationalities increased. Moroccan workers also were introduced to replace the lost Spanish labour. Since the border opening in 1982, there has been a great influence on Gibraltar's already varied population with Western and Eastern Europeans taking advantage of increased freedom of movement.

Despite the mixture of cultures and races the population of Gibraltar has always coexisted with tolerance and harmony, something we should take pride in and hold up as an example to all.