History and Heritage of Ons

Few very dispersed remains were found on the Ons Islands that date back to the early days of history but they are not enough to envisage the presence of settlements or permanent settlers in time. Bronze Age remains and settlements of Castro culture have been located. One of them known as the "Castelo dos Moros" is on the hill above the Canexol neighbourhood, and although unexcavated, one can clearly appreciate the circular distribution with defence structures. The other Castro settlement known as "Cova da Loba" is located in the northern part of the island where one can find remains of ceramics, tiles and abundant shells.

Just like the other islands of this Atlantic coast, the Ons Islands could have been part of the famous Cassiterides islands named by the Greeks, but the absence in the islands of the metal Cassiterite ̵ tin to which this place name refers, indicates that they could only have been a trading place for this metal.

The later Swabian and Visigoth occupation in Galicia did not leave any footprint on the Ons Islands, but we can imagine a total depopulation of the territory due to their attacks.

The Ons Islands first appeared in a document in the year 899 ̵ the Middle Ages, when King Alfonso III donated the "Aones Island" to the Compostela Council. This donation was ratified in later reigns until 1109 with Alfonso VI. The document indicates that St. Martin's church existed at the time but we have no knowledge or trace of its congregation or population.

Despite the Viking attacks in the Late Middle Ages, there happened to be a monastery on the island during the 15th century of which there are no remains. Monks from the inland used the place for retirement and meditation even though we are unaware whether it housed clerics on a regular basis. Its location is associated with the presence of an anthropomorphic tomb known as the "Laxe del Crego" that dates back to the time, and is situated on Area dos Cans beach. This entire historical site was the origin of popular legends among the islanders.

In the 16th century - the modern age, the Church handed the island as a fiefdom to the Montenegro family. The written references of this fiefdom indicated that it was inhabited and had a parish church. However, the English corsairs, Turkish and Berber pirates sieged it from the end of the 16th century onwards, the best-known corsair feared by his own subjects was Francis Drake. The looting and burning of premises suffered by the inhabitants well into the eighteenth century caused them to flee to the mainland.

In 1810, the Provincial Arms and Defence Council decided to fortify the island, which made the property of the Montenegro family safer and facilitated repopulation. Two fortresses were located within this fortification: One was in the Pereiro neighbourhood of which there is scant stone evidence – as many stones were reused for building homes - and another in the Curro neighbourhood, just a few metres from the pier to Melide known as the "Castelo da Roda".

The entry of the army resulted in land division and the State ceded land for cultivation purposes to the islanders for a fee. The proceeds were destined to cover the fortifications until the defensive projects were finally abandoned, and the fees were handed over to the lords of the island.

The first salting factory was built near the pier between 1835-40 and it improved the livelihood of the islanders. Their activity now changed to fishing in order to supply raw materials to the plant, thus boosting the island's economy, which attracted new settlers from neighbouring places and led to an increase in population. Fluctuations in sardine catches caused the decline and final closure of the company, and the islanders began selling their catch to the mainland market.

In 1940, the State expropriated the island for national defence, and it was taken over by the Ministry of the Army in 1943. The State recovered the island in 1960 and appointed a mayor to manage the island. From then onwards, management of the island of Ons passed through different state administrations.

In 1965, the National Institute of Colonization, commissioned a status report that reflected the urgent need, among others, to build a port to cater to the new ships. The "Civic Centre" comprised of the church, school, warehouses and housing for teacher and doctor were constructed, but no work to improve the port was carried out.

The Institute of Land Reform and Development ̵ IRYDA took over the island in 1975, but it too failed to solve the mooring problems of the island's fleet.

The Institute for the Preservation of Nature ̵ ICONA was established at the Civic Centre in 1979. Its actions also did not cater to the needs of the islanders, who, tired of the lack of interest of the administration, moved their principal residence to the mainland and decided to keep their island home as a summer residence.

During the 1940-50s the island was at its best with almost 500 inhabitants. Boys left school soon to go to the sea with their elders and worked until they had saved enough money to buy their own dorna (boat). Girls, on the other hand, finished schooling, got married, and looked after the house, children and the fields. Corn, rye, potatoes, and vegetables were grown for home use. There were pastures for cattle: cows, oxen, sheep and goats; the houses had at least one pig and chickens. Fishing, with abundant shellfish and fish, initially contributed to a better diet but, the activity later became profitable, and many islanders specialized themselves in the same. The harsh environmental conditions brought people closer and they shared everything. Sunday was the day for meeting at the Civic Centre.

The progressive depopulation of the island coincided with the tourist boom, which reached its zenith in the 1970s. Transfer of ownership by the State Government to the Autonomous Region of Galicia in 1983-84 meant that the territory was now under the jurisdiction of the Regional Department of Agriculture. In 2002, Ons finally became part of the Galician Atlantic Islands Marine-Terrestrial National Park that is currently being managed by the Regional Department of the Environment.

Click here for more information on the history and culture of Ons.