Historical Musings The Mayoralty of Gibraltar

by Anthony J. P. Lombard

Last December, when the current Mayor, Nicky Guerreo took office, it was said that 2025 marked 70 years since Gibraltar’s first Mayor was appointed. Permit me, in the interest of historical accuracy, to suggest that what should be celebrated is the 70th anniversary of the first British Mayor of Gibraltar, as officially occurred in November 1955, and not when our first Mayor was appointed, and which was in 1309, and so 767 years ago, and as I have highlighted previously in, both your newspaper – [see your issue of the 20th June, 2016] – and in the 2016 Gibraltar Heritage Journal.

To state our Mayoralty dates from just the second half of the 20th century, denies our noble city an exceptionally important part of its historical provenance and heritage, After all, Gibraltar has existed since well before the Conquest of 1704, and so it is a trajectory we have to recognise and embrace.

August 1309
Accordingly, and as is well known, the Mayoralty of Gibraltar was established by Ferdinand IV of Castile [1285-1312], in August 1309, following the Castilian Conquest of Gibraltar from the Arabs, and it was then that the first Mayor of Gibraltar was appointed, in the person of Lopez Ordonez [Ordoñez].
The Mayor was known as the ‘Corregidor’ and was appointed by the monarch, and often exercised jurisdiction over more than one municipality.

The term of ‘Corregidor’ must not be confused with the other descriptions of that era, and namely those of: ‘Alcaide’ or ‘Alcalde’, and which carried different responsibilities.
It clearly follows, the Office of Mayor of Gibraltar, enjoys a provenance of 767 years and counting, and not just 70 years.

Furthermore, in order to place the same into some context, it may be pertinent to point out that, for example, the earliest mention of a Mayor of London, occurred, circa 1189, and the title ‘Lord Mayor of London’ was first recorded in 1414, during the Mayoralty of the famous Sir Richard Whittington.
Consequently, the western Office of Mayor of Gibraltar, entered recorded history, roughly, in between both those two dates, in 1309.

The Corregidores [Mayors] of Gibraltar – 1309 – 1704:
Be all that as it may and to complete the record, and, thus, as so far uncovered, the Mayors were:

1309 – Lope Ordonez [Ordoñez];
1333 - Vasco Pérez de Meira;
1462 - Pedro de Porras;
1463 - Beltran de la Cueva;
1468 - Pedro de Vargas;
1476 - Pedro de Herrera [or de Cordoba];
1485 - Don Martin de Bocanegra;
1501 - Diego Ramirez de Segura;
1502 - Fernando [or Hernando] de Arroyo;
1502 - Don Diego Lopez de Haro;
1503 - Louis de Venegas [or Benegas] – [also Mayor of Ronda and Marbella];
1505/1506 - Fernando de Gamarra, Knight Commander - [also Mayor of Ronda and Marbella];
1507 - Rodrigo Bazán – [also “Veedor del reino de Tremecín”];
1520 - Rodrigo Bazán – [also “Veedor del reino de Tremecín”];
1535 - Don Alvaro de Bazán;
1540 - Alonso Moreno, Licenciado;
1561 - Don Cristobal de Eraso;
1565 - Don Juan Alonso de Cabrera;
1569 - Don Antonio Florez de Benavides;
1577 - Don Juan de Uzaeta [or Ozaeta], Knight of the Military Order of Calatrava and relative of the Royal Family of Navarre;
1578 - Don Juan Antonio de Rivadeneira;
1580 - Dr. Antonio Felices de Ureta;
1584 - Captain Diego Pareja de Peralta;
1587 - Don Diego Diez de Aux Nuñovero;
1589 - Don Alonso Ramirez de Arellano;
1596 - Captain Iñigo de Arroyo Santisteban;
1597 - Captain Diego de Varga Machuca;
1597 - Captain Gaspar Ruiz de Cortazar;
1598 - Don Alonso Ramírez de Arellano;
1609 - Captain Hernando de Quesada Ulloa;
1612 - Don Rodrigo de Flores Benavides;
1612 - Don Francisco Enriquez de Avila;
1621 - Captain Alonso de Angulo;
1627 - Cristobál Mesa Bocanegra;
1637 - Martin Lison de Tejada;
1702 - Fernando Villoría.

The 1502 Castilian re-conquest of Gibraltar
Following the Castilian re-conquest, Gibraltar had a population of some 1,300 inhabitants. However, by 1550, the population had experienced a considerable increment, as a result of the efforts by the Catholic Kings, which attracted 500 settlers, made up of 150 noble knights, with the rest being merchants, fishermen and farmers. By 1586, the population of Gibraltar had reached 5,400 inhabitants and, by the end of the 17th century, it is said to have reached 9,000 inhabitants.

The main economic activity of Gibraltar during those centuries was agriculture, livestock, fishing, forestry, vineyards, naval construction and commerce. Fish was particularly plentiful, in Gibraltar’s waters, with exports being sent as far afield as Valencia. Most of the commerce was undertaken by sea, upon national or foreign vessels, with exports from and imports to Gibraltar, going or coming, from as far as France, England, Flanders, Italy and Barbary.

The author, Alonso Hernández del Portillo, in his ‘Historia de la Muy Noble y Más Leal Ciudad de Gibraltar, (1610-1622)’ stated that Gibraltar was never better administered than when the ‘Corregidores’ were civilian gentlemen, as opposed to military knights.
Certainly, some of the ‘Corregidores’ of the period were individuals of national and international standing and distinction.

Abudarham Synagogue
During the Castilian period, the ‘Cabildo’, or City Council, of Gibraltar was headquartered in Parliament Lane, and, hence, the nomenclature of the Lane to this day. Moreover, the ‘Cabildo’ is said, to have been specifically situated in the property which, subsequently, came to be purchased by Samuel and Abraham Abudarham, in 1777, and became the Abudarham Synagogue, and the Abudarham family’s private synagogue, or House of Prayer. In 1820, the Synagogue assumed a public role and to this day, it so continues as a place of worship, dedicated to the Almighty, and equally continuing to be known by the name of its founding family, and as the ‘Abudarham Synagogue’.

Richard Holroide
Following the British Conquest of 1704, and after the Siege of 1727, there was, an attempt, by the UK Lords Commissioners of Trade and Plantations, to obtain a civilian constitution for Gibraltar, based upon an elected Corporation and Mayor. It was suggested Richard Holroide, a leading Protestant merchant of the period, should be the first Mayor, of that new British Corporation. However, in the event, nothing came of those proposals. Holroide died in Gibraltar in 1758, aged 96, having lived in Gibraltar for 53 years and 6 months and so must have arrived shortly after the Conquest of 1704. His Memorial, with striking Arms, is to this day found upon the south wall of the King’s Chapel.

20th century restitution of the Office of Mayor
As a consequence, it was not until the modern age, when the Office of Mayor of Gibraltar was revived, in the full terms of its nomenclature.
However, it was a ‘revival’ and not a new institution.
In 1921, the City Council of Gibraltar was established and led by a Chairman. However, in 1951, the City Council requested to change the title of its Chairman to that of Mayor. In February 1955, the City Council proceeded to adopt a unanimous resolution, to the effect that the title of its Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary be changed to that of Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Town Clerk. The resolution was put to the Colonial Office of the United Kingdom Government and, on the 30th May, 1955, the latter agreed to the changes in question, which were formally introduced in November of that year, when the necessary legislation was passed and the Honourable Joshua Hassan, as he then was, became the first ‘British’ Mayor of Gibraltar.

Subsequently, under the terms of Gibraltar Constitution of 1969, the Elected Members of the House of Assembly selected the Mayor of Gibraltar, from amongst the Members of the Assembly, other than the ex-officio members. The Mayor held office upon such terms and conditions and had to perform such functions [being ceremonial functions of a civic character], as were determined by the Governor, after consultation, with the Gibraltar Council.

2006 Constitution
The Constitution of 2006, retained the ceremonial nature of the Office; save the duties to be undertaken by the Mayor are now determined by Parliament. Furthermore, the 2006 Constitution enlarged the pool of candidates who were eligible for appointment to the Office of Mayor, by removing the restriction, which limited the same to solely Members of the Parliament.

Moreover, it should be added that post the 2006 Constitutions, some Mayors, acted as Deputy Mayors, in the year prior to their appointments, and, to that degree, the Office of Deputy Mayor has been introduced, although it is not decreed or regulated by the 2006 Constitution.

Regrettably the 2006 Constitution contains an error in respect of the official description afforded the Mayor of Gibraltar and that is that it states the Mayor is to be described as ‘The Worshipful the Mayor of Gibraltar’, when Mayors of Cities, as opposed to Boroughs, etc, are more properly known as ‘The Right Worshipful Mayor of ... ’ and so, the same designation should apply to Mayors of Gibraltar, and given we have been a City, since Gibraltar was designated as the ‘City of Victory’ and inaugurated in November 1160, during the Arab period, and as subsequently repeatedly confirmed through the centuries.

British Mayors of Gibraltar
The British Mayors of Gibraltar are set out hereafter, namely:

The Hon. Sir Joshua Hassan, G.C.B.E., K.C.M.G., L.V.O., Q.C., J.P. [1955 to 1969]
Colonel The Hon. Sir William Thompson, Kt., O.B.E., J.P. [1969 to 1970]
The Hon. Sir Alfred J. Vasquez, Kt., C.B.E., Q.C., M.A. (Cantab)., [1970 to 1976]
The Hon. Adolfo J. Canepa, O.B.E. [1976 to 1978]
The Hon. Horace J. Zammitt [1979 to 1979]
The Hon. Abraham W. Serfaty, C.B.E., J.P. [1979 to 1988]
The Hon. Mari I. Montegriffo [1988 to 1995]
The Hon. Robert Mor [1995 to 1996]
The Hon. Judge John E. Alcantara, C.B.E. [1996 to 2004]
The Hon. Clive G. Beltran [2004 to 2008]
Solomon Levy, Esquire., M.B.E., E.D., J.P. [August 2008 to August 2009]
Mrs. Olga Zammitt, J.P. [August 2009 to August 2010]
Anthony J. P. Lombard, Esquire., Knight Officer of the Order of Merit of Poland
and Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta of Poland, Ll.B., (Hons). [August 2010 to August 2011]
Julio Alcantara, Esquire., M.B.E. [August 2011 to August 2012]
Anthony Lima, Esquire, M.B.E., E.D. [August 2012 to April 2014]
The Hon. Adolfo J. Canepa, O.B.E. [2014 to 2017]
Mrs. Kaiane Aldorino Lopez G.M.H. [2017-2019]
John Gonçalves, Esquire, M.B.E., G.M.D. [2019-2021];
Christian Santos Esquire, G.M.D. [2021-2023];
Ms. Carmen Gomez G.M.D., [2023-2025];
Nicholas Guerrero, Esquire., [2025].

Until the complete list of Mayors since 1309 can be established, it follows that for the moment Mr. Guerrero is, at least, the 58th Mayor of Gibraltar since 1309, and as is, surely, more salient than the 21st, since 1955.

Roll of Honour Board of the Castilian Mayors from 1309 to 1704
Indeed, as part of celebrating the period of British Mayors, from 1955 to the present, consideration should be given to installing in City Hall an appropriate Roll of Honour Board, setting out all of the currently known Mayors of Gibraltar, during the Castilian period, given that, as mentioned previously, the Office of Mayor existed centuries before 1955, and so for some 400 years, to boot, from 1309 to 1704, and until revived in 1955.