The salt-mining tradition of the island of Menorca can easily be traced back to the 14th century, when we discovered one of the first documentary references known to date. It is found in a decree published by Cavaller(1) Dalmau Sagarriga, Royal Lieutenant of the Kingdom of Majorca, and addressed to Pere de Llivia, Bayle(2) of Minorca. In 1303, Sagarriga proclaimed, by his authority, that the harvesting of salt would be free on the island of Menorca.
It should be understood that this provision related to the free harvesting of salt, but that it was intended for particular and private uses.
That is to say to provide for personal consumption, without leading to a possible commercial production.
This arrangement thus persisted for centuries, at least until the appearance of the first administrative regulations and the first projects for increased production, geared towards business objectives. This represents a very late stage in time, if we compare it with the early commercial activity experienced by the islands of Mallorca and Ibiza, from the earliest times in history.
This supposes that, in the specific case of Menorca, the salt activity was maintained for centuries without really reaching an appreciable level of production and without ever constituting an extractive activity oriented towards commercial or commercial objectives on a large scale. This state of affairs contrasts, on the other hand, with two very different realities, if we consider the long salt-mining history of the island of Majorca and, above all, that which has been noted in the two Pitiuses, Ibiza and Formentera.
That is to say to provide for personal consumption, without leading to a possible commercial production.
This arrangement thus persisted for centuries, at least until the appearance of the first administrative regulations and the first projects for increased production, geared towards business objectives. This represents a very late stage in time, if we compare it with the early commercial activity experienced by the islands of Mallorca and Ibiza, from the earliest times in history.
This supposes that, in the specific case of Menorca, the salt activity was maintained for centuries without really reaching an appreciable level of production and without ever constituting an extractive activity oriented towards commercial or commercial objectives on a large scale. This state of affairs contrasts, on the other hand, with two very different realities, if we consider the long salt-mining history of the island of Majorca and, above all, that which has been noted in the two Pitiuses, Ibiza and Formentera.