The Fuochi of 1447: Gessopalena (Gesso Palena)

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                    The Fuochi of 1447: Gessopalena (Gesso Palena)

Source and Authorship

The data presented on this page derives from the study: Nunzio Federigo Faraglia,
La numerazione dei fuochi nelle terre della Valle del Sangro fatta nel 1447,
published in Rassegna Abruzzese, late 19th century (Lanciano).

The original printed volume was personally digitized by Matthew de Larcinese in the library of Sant’Antonio da Padova (Lanciano) during archival research conducted in the 2010s.

While an online transcription of this work exists elsewhere, that version contains several transcription and interpretive errors. For this reason, the data below is taken directly from the original printed source, cross-checked against the facsimile pages.
 

The numerazione dei fuochi of 1447 was a royal fiscal census ordered under Alfonso I of Aragon, recording taxable households (fuochi, literally “hearths”) and their members (anime).

For Gessopalena (recorded as Gesso Palena, Luogissimo), the register preserves:

• the number of taxable households
   
• the total population
   
• the list of surnames and household identifiers in use at mid-15th century
   

Gessopalena in 1447: Demographic Data

Community: Gesso Palena (Luogissimo)

Date of enumeration: April 1447

Category Count Fuochi (households) 137 Anime (population) 669 

This places Gessopalena among the larger and more stable communities of the upper Sangro–Aventino zone in the mid-15th century.

The following surnames appear exactly as recorded in the 1447 register for Gesso Palena:

Andreæ, Auri, Amici, Aragonense, Borrello, Blasius, Buci, Berardi, Ciancinus, Celli, Camici, Cicci, Crecci, de Cerro, Cinci, Colle, Ciaramella, Colai, Derro, de Ebore, Faticato, de Fanollis, Filippi, Fractis, de Francia, Gipczannus, Gipcius, Jovannucci Jacobi, Marci, Mathei Marini, de Morello, Montanarius, Mathuci, Mansuetus, Mancini, Nicolai, Niger, Nobilis, Pupillus, Puciacus, Piczonus, de Pesco, Piczutus, de Pincianise, Pensabene, Penetulus, Pucella, Piczella, Pauli, Petri, Panicella, Pagliaronus, Piczonius, Placiarini (de Francia), Razzatte, Rocha, Roberti, Rubei, Stefani, Stasii, Secteamance, della Sconciosa, Tardaczoli, Tachonus, Tartari, Tartaglie, de Vallibus, Ucilicti, Zachardus.

In the original register, some entries appear as paired names without punctuation, for example:

• Jovannucci Jacobi
   
• Mathei Marini
   

These are not separate surnames divided by a comma. They represent patronymic or compound identifiers recorded as a single household entry. Later transcriptions that insert commas here introduce an error not present in the source.

Although Faraglia’s study covers the entire Valle del Sangro, this page deliberately limits itself to Gessopalena alone, in order to:

• avoid conflating unrelated communities
   
• preserve surname context specific to Gesso
   
• prevent later assumptions from being read back into 15th-century data
   

Comparative tables for other towns (Lanciano, Torricella, Pescasseroli, etc.) are therefore omitted here by design.

Faraglia, Nunzio Federigo. La numerazione dei fuochi nelle terre della Valle del Sangro fatta nel 1447. Rassegna Abruzzese, Lanciano, late 19th century. Digitized from the original printed volume at the Biblioteca di Sant’Antonio da Padova, Lanciano.

 Notes on Gessopalena Surnames (1447)

Linguistic, Occupational, and Toponymic Considerations

The surnames recorded in the 1447 fuochi for Gessopalena preserve a mixture of patronymics, occupational terms, nicknames, and locative identifiers typical of the late medieval Abruzzese context. The observations below are editorial notes, intended to suggest possible linguistic or historical trajectories rather than definitive identifications.

These notes reflect ongoing research and are presented separately from the primary transcription.

• Andree – patronymic (Andrea).
   
• Auri – possibly connected to aurum (gold), aurifice (goldsmith), or later forms such as Naurato, Aurefice (Orefice).
   
• Amici – common medieval surname; may also function as a sobriquet.
   
• Aragonense – could indicate Aragonese affiliation or origin; alternatively, phonetic or scribal confusion with Arcenese has been considered but remains unproven.
   
• Borrello – possibly linked to color (rosso), or to later Rosso surnames.
   
• Blasius – Latinized form of Biagio; later de Blasio.
   
• Bucii – may relate to Bucci, Bucciarello, Pucci, or diminutive forms such as Jacobucci.
   
• Berardi – long-lived surname in Gessopalena; later figures include Berardino and Antonio Berardi de Larcenese.
   
• Ciancinus – likely Cianci.
   
• Celli, Camicij, Cicci, Creccie – surnames possibly derived from nicknames, occupations, or diminutives.
   
• de Cerro – locative, “from the hill,” possibly connected to cerro (oak) or elevated terrain.
   
• Cincij, Colelle – possibly diminutives of Nicola or related forms.
   
• Ciaramella – potentially occupational, referring to the musical instrument (ciaramella).
   
• Colai – variant of Nicola.
   
• Derro – unclear; may be nickname-based.
   
• de Ebore – Latin ebur (ivory); rare and possibly symbolic or occupational.
   
• Faticato – occupational (“laborer”); possible later convergence with de Fabrizio is speculative.
   
• de Fannolfis – unclear; possibly Germanic or northern influence.
   
• Filippi – patronymic.
   
• Fractis – unclear; possibly descriptive or occupational.
   
• de Francia / Placzarini (de Francia) – may indicate origin or association (“from Francia”); possible later della Franca or De Francesco.
   
• Gipczannus / Gipcius – phonetic forms; possibly related to Gezzo or Iezzo.
   
• Jovannucii Jacobi – compound patronymic; should not be divided into two surnames.
   
• Marci, Mathei Marini – patronymic compounds.
   
• de Morello – locative or nickname.
   
• Montanarius – occupational or descriptive (“of the mountains”); later Montanero in Gessopalena.
   
• Mathucii – possibly Mattuccio; a connection to Roccascalegna has been noted but remains uncertain.
   
• Mansuetus – Latin for “gentle/tame”; likely a sobriquet (Mansueto).
   
• Mancini – long-standing family in Gessopalena.
   
• Nicolai – patronymic.
   
• Nigrim Nobilis – descriptive (“black/dark”) combined with status; unusual compound.
   
• Pupillus – literally “orphan” or “ward”; may indicate legal status rather than lineage.
   
• Puciacius, Puczella, Piuczella – likely related to Pucci and diminutives.
   
• Piczonus / Piczutus / Piczonius – possibly related forms; may refer to land division (pezzo) or later Pizzone.
   
• de Pesco – locative; later Peschi.
   
• de Pincianise – unclear; possibly Pincianese.
   
• Pensabene – expressive surname (“think well”).
   
• Pentulus – unclear; possibly diminutive.
   
• Pauli, Petri – patronymics (de Paolo, di Pietro).
   
• Panictella – diminutive or nickname-based.
   
• Pagliaronius – likely connected to Pagliarone; later Paglione.
   
• Raczacte – unclear; possibly scribal variant.
   
• Rocha – locative (“rock,” “fortress”); may intersect conceptually with Arx, Arcione/Arcene, or fortified terrain, or simply of Rocca Scalegna or similar, though no direct equivalence is asserted.
   
• Roberti, Rubei – patronymic; Rubei will later align with Rossi.
   
• Stefani, Stasii – patronymics.
   
• Secteamancze – unclear; requires further paleographic comparison.
   
• dela Sconciosa – expressive or descriptive nickname; meaning uncertain.
   
• Tardaczoli, Tachonus – unclear; possibly occupational or nickname-based.
   
• Tartari, Tartaglie – may reflect nickname, speech impediment, or external ethnonyms (Tartaro, Turco), without implying ethnicity.
   
• de Vallibus – locative (“from the valley”); later surnames such as Valleriello have been considered in relation, but no direct identification is asserted here.
   
• Ucillicti – unclear; possibly patronymic or nickname-based.
   
• Zachardus – patronymic; may also function as a sobriquet (cf. parallels noted for Torricella).
   

These notes are not intended as genealogical conclusions. Medieval surnames were fluid, often descriptive, and subject to orthographic variation. Where later surnames appear to echo 1447 forms, this may reflect linguistic evolution, convergence, or coincidence rather than direct descent.