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History of the Baronia of Favarella

BY RAIMONDO LENTINILA VOCE, YEAR IV, N. OCTOBER 40, 2011 PAGE 7

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[Contextual note: The Noble Morso family was the owner of the feudal territory known as the Baronia of Favarella, which included the village of Poggioreale. For many years the Morso family maintained a small palace in the center of Poggioreale.]

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Don Bradamante (or Brandimarte) Morso was owner and owner of some territories located in Caltabellotta called Spedale, La Ghissa and La Favarella; he asked for and obtained the subjection of these lands to King Philip II on 22 July 1575 and the title was called "Baronia di Favarella". He died in Palermo on 29 June 1589 at the age of 54. Whose Bradamante son is not from the published texts, but we found an act drawn up by the notary Pastamolla Caltabellotta dated September 3, 1525 in which it is said that before had been contracted marriage between Margherita Turano daughter of the noble John and the fu Constance and the noble Nicola Morso. In this document we read that the marriage was contracted in Palermo and the deed was done by the notary Antonino De Aiuto on April 28, 1524.

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Margherita Turano was supposed to be from Caltabellotta and probably had brought the territories we talked about above into a dowry; they were succeeded by his son Bradamante who raised the territories to barony and acquired the title. From Ciaccio we also know that a Pompilio Morso son of Nicolò and Margherita di Palermo (therefore likely brother of Bradamante) marries March 20, 1576 with Claudia Buondelmonte.

 

None of the family then lived more permanently in Caltabellotta, but probably went there to administer their property and so occasionally they found each other. For example, on March 29, 1683, Anna Morso was married to Caltabellotta, daughter of Baron Don Nicola and of Donna Margherita Adamo with his cousin Don Adamo Adamo, son of Don Girolamo and woman Antonina Maurici da Mazara and resident in Palermo. Occasionally some notable person called them to act as godparents as happened for the baptism of the future archpriest of Caltabellotta Pellegrino Muscarnera born March 11, 1756 by Don Giuseppe and Donna Anna Pampinella and baptized the next day by the archpriest Genoa who had as godparents Donna Giuseppa Morso and Vanni, baroness of Favarella, and her son Don Girolamo Morso and Vanni of Palermo.

 

The last investiture was made to Don Giuseppe Morso Parisi on October 2, 1807 who was married on May 9, 1784 with Angela Sartorio Barzellini. They were succeeded by his son Girolamo born in 1787 but there were no other investitures. According to the Mango Casalgerardo (Nobiliario di Sicilia) the family should be "originally from Florence, brought to Sicily by a flower at the time of Ferdinand the Catholic." A Giovanni bought from Troiano Abbate and Calcerando Corbera the land and castle of Gibellina, a Brandimarte, with privilege given to 22nd July, executed on November 28th, 1575, he obtained the title of baron of Favarella and he himself held the office of senator of Palermo in 1578-79, 1584-85, a Gerardo was governor of Monte di Pietà in 1579; Nicolò was a senator of Palermo in 1607-8, an Antoninus, baron of Gibellina, was a deputy of the Kingdom, captain of justice of Palermo in 1615-16 and, with privilege given to January 17 executorialto 28 February 1619, he obtained the title of marquis of Gibellina, a Diego was the first baron of the Mezzograno in his family, a Francesco-Marchisio, Marquis of Gibellina, with privilege given to February 4 executorialto May 16, 1643, obtained the title of prince of Poggioreale; a Gaspare, prince of Poggioreale in 1650 was a knight of the order of Alcantara; a Peter, prince of Poggioreale, etc. he was a knight of the order of St. James, vicar general and master of the field, deputy of the Kingdom and praetor of Palermo in the year 1679-80; a Matteo, baron of the Mezzograno, was senator of Caltagirone in 1661-62 and captain of justice of the same city in 1663-64; a Pietro, prince of Poggioreale, was a magistrate of Palermo in 1681; a Diego, baron of Mezzograno, was senator of Caltagirone in 1691 and captain of justice in the year 1701; a Giovan Francesco, prince of Poggioreale, etc. was captain of justice of Palermo in 1693-94, deputy of the Kingdom in 1720, praetor of Palermo in 1728, colonel in the armies of Spain, governor of Marsala, general of battle in 1733, commander of the order of Calatrava, general of the galleys of Sicily, etc .; a Francesco Morso and Leggio, baron of the Mezzograno, was captain of justice of Caltagirone in the years 1735-36-37-38 and 1754-55; a Nicolò, of the barons of Favarella, was rector of the great hospital of Palermo in 1741, etc.

 

Weapon: red, on the arm dressed in green moving from the head, gripping with a complexion hand a bite of a golden horse.

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