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Originally Posted by Jim McDougall
... While there are no records specifying Jewish armourers and swordsmiths, we know they existed of course...
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From the work A ARMARIA EM PORTUGAL by Sousa Viterbo 1907/8:
... Besides Moors, Jews were also experts in metalic arts in general and in the production of weapons in particular, reason why an exception was promulgated in their favour. According to Damião de Gois, in part I, chapter X, of his Chronicle of (King) Dom Manuel, the Jews of Castille, who came to Portugal in the time of (King) Dom João II, paid 8 cruzados per capita and the black smiths, tinkers, mail smiths and armourers (only) paid half. The influence of these imigrants could obviously not be long lasting, as they had to be expatriated in the realm of Dom Manuel. However many Jews, converted to Catholicism, continued exercizing their activities, so that we see in (city of) Tavira, Algarve, a family of New Christians (converted Jews), that of the Fains, dedicated to the production of lances.
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Originally Posted by Jim McDougall
...As noted, the letter 'S' seems well represented in at least 7 examples, with 4 of them being Sahagun...
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Actually in over a dozen examples, with more or less appendixes. Could we have here the toponimic phenomina, that is, their origin being, for example,
Zaragossa, a place well known for its sword smiths which, in Catalonian, a neighbour of Aragon and once its ally, is spelt
Saragossa ? I am trying to get some clarification on this issue from Germán Dueñas Berains, but i don't think he has the time to pay attention to my new email.
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Originally Posted by Jim McDougall
...Another conundrum is with the number '3', which occurs in a number of them. I have seen no adequate explanation for this one...
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And ... is that a (number) 3, Jim ?
.