A Four Century History: Masia del Batble

Masia del Batble, tucked away in Tremp, Spain, carries a hidden four-century family history. The records show a lineage dating back to 1643. On the death of Joan Batlle, he passed on his estate to his two sons, Juan and Antoni Batlle. However, little is known about Antoni, while Juan's life took a new direction. He married Orosia Oller in 1645 and continued the tradition by leasing a plot of land to plant vineyards in November 1730.

The jornal, equal to around 4,358 m², was eventually purchased in 1740. Losses in the wine trade led to the sale of the property, and it changed hands several times before rejoining the family in 1801. Pere Batlle Mestre, great-grandson of Joseph Batlle Marrugat, became the new owner and remained so until his death in 1801. We still possess the invoice for his burial, which records the wages of the carpenter and the rector, as well as the bread purchased for the wake.

Tragically, on a fateful June 7, 1902, Agustí Batlle Marcer, one of the family's five children, met his untimely end at the age of 32. He sustained a head injury while at the market in Vilafranca del Penedès and later succumbed to tetanus, as the vaccine wasn’t yet known. Agustí passed away without leaving any descendants. Today, Masia del Batble stands as an abandoned, yet enchanting place. It bears witness to the Batlle family's history, an undeniable testament to the transformations and tragedies that have unfolded over the centuries.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata