The Penedès rabassaires in the eighteenth century. Approach to the legal, economic and social implications of the contract of rabassa morta

Abstract

This text examines several issues related to the rabassa morta contract. First, I examine the findings of Pierre Vilar on the evolution of this type of vineyard contract, and then I contrast them with results obtained in the Alt Penedès region in the 18th century. Second, I analyse the legal development of this type of contract by examining its provisions over the course of the century. Finally, I explore the social and economic dimensions of the rabassa system by looking into the rabassers’ post mortem inventories and encants públics, sources that offer valuable information on their life conditions.