The Alexians, a Greek family in Menorca in the 18th century (and 2)

The first news we have of this family dates back to the 1840s, when the English government gave facilities to Greek, Jewish and Moorish merchants to establish themselves in Mahón and they were granted a license of marque.

In 1753, Governor Blakeney, in the name of His Britannic Majesty, granted Nicola Alexiano the land corresponding to Cape Mola, some salt pans in Fornells and an orchard in Colársega, under a 31-year lease. Then the alleged owners of those lands, Miguel de Vigo for la Mola and Gabriel de Olivar for the salt flats, appeared before the governor, filing a lawsuit against the Greek. In the end, Olivar ceded half of the salt flats to Nicola, but Mr. de Vigo remained in his position, leaving the lawsuit pending resolution.

It was then that Miguel Cuadrado Sanz, a wealthy Menorcan landowner and main Spanish agent in Menorca, ordered the arrest of the Alexianos the same night the Spanish troops arrived in Mahón on August 19, 1781. After the reconquest, all their properties were confiscated from the Alexiano family.

Despite this, the ownership of said assets was not resolved and, furthermore, it took on an international aspect over the years. Until in the year 1792, after several tug-of-war with two very long judicial processes, the Greeks were definitively stripped of all their belongings on the Island.

Source: José Luis Terrón Ponce.