Madeira History - Funchal's Name

After the discovery of the island of Madeira by the Portuguese in 1420, by an expedition of ships captained by João Gonçalves Zargo, a small settlement was established at the site of a natural bay on the island's southern coast.

The newly discovered island was rich in plant life and on its mountainous slopes were dense forests. The island was consequently named Madeira, which in Portuguese means wood.

However, in the vicinity of the new settlement headed by João Gonçalves Zargo, the fennel plant, belonging to the common Foeniculum vulgare genus, grew in abundance.

In Portuguese, the name for this plant is funcho.

Hence, this outpost settlement, that was an important stopping point for Portuguese explorers that set out across the Atlantic Ocean to Africa and later to America, soon became known as Funchal. Indeed, it is even said by some that João Gonçalves Zargo himself was responsible for naming the city Funchal.

However, Funchal in Madeira was not the first location name to have been associated with this seemingly insignificant plant.

Abundance of the Name Funchal

In ancient syllabic Greek script known as Linear B, the word for fennel is maratuwo. John Chadwick, a distinguished 20th century English linguist cited maratuwo as the origin of the place name Marathon (meaning "place of fennel"), site of the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC.

In addition, in the Portuguese Encyclopedia it is noted by Maximiliano de Lemos, a 19th century professor of modern medicinal history at the University of Porto, that they were a number of villages in Portugal that had, or once bore, the name of Funchal.

Recently, the Chronography of Portugal Mainland and Islands mentions two dozen sites and villages that are historically associated with the name of Funchal.

The Village of Ameixoeira

Of particular interest is the village of Ameixoeira which is located about 6km from Lisbon in the county of Olivais, in the parish of Lumiar. This village is mentioned in the extensive Ancient and Modern Portugal, by Pinho Leal.

The Ancient and Modern Portugal work is a loosely described as a dictionary.

In fact the work comprises of 12 volumes detailing information of locations in Portugal, arranged alphabetically by name of towns, villages and parishes. Each entry covers information on the monuments, important events, anniversaries, outstanding people and the genealogy of important families who have been linked to each location.

Much of the content is based on ecclesiastical records. However, its accuracy is sometimes regarded as questionable as it is also known to include information that was gleaned from the personal memories of individual dignitaries linked to the church.

Pinho Leal began publishing his Ancient and Modern Portugal in 1873, but died before the project was finished. The last volume was compiled by Pedro Augusto Ferreira in 1890.

Under the entry for the village of Ameixoeira, it is said that it bore a previous name of Funchal.

Here, it seems that they was an old chapel known as Our Lady of Funchal, which served as a parish church until 1664 when it was rebuilt and enlarged. The original, primitive chapel is thought to have been founded in celebration of a Christan victory over the Moors that took place on the very spot that its foundation stone was laid.

Taking account of records that descend further back into the mists of history, the location is said to have been referred to by ancient Goths and Moors as Mixo ou Mixio.

Whatever the veracity of this account, it illustrates the point that place names often evolve through the centuries and their exact origins are sometimes enmeshed in an historical tangle, the unravelling of which is beyond certainty.

Importance of the Fennel Herb

That the fennel herb should give raise to a number of locations bearing its name is not surprising considering the role that the plant has played throughout human history.

Indeed, today, fennel is widely cultivated for its edible, strongly flavoured leaves and fruits and it believed to have numerous efficacious properties.

Historically, the Florence fennel is one of the main ingredients of absinthe, a popular French alcoholic drink that has its heritage linked to a medicinal mixture.

Other fennel extracts are claimed to calm digestive disorders, improve eyesight, help alleviate hypertension and treat chronic coughs. In addition, powdered fennel is said to provide an excellent defense against fleas.

In addition to this, all parts of the various fennel plants have enjoyed wide culinary uses throughout the centuries, not least in the Indian subcontinent - the area most renown for its commercial production today.

Today, it is certainly true that Funchal in Madeira is the most widely know urban conurbation that bears that name.

If the capital city of Madeira will continue to hold that distinction in the centuries to come is anyone's guess. However, we can say with some degree of certainty that it was definitely not the first city that owes its name to the presence of the humble fennel plant and we strongly suspect that it will not be the last.