Record Atlas
11 eras · 1287–2026 · 1 places

Menorca

Maó, Ciutadella, Es Castell, Sant Lluís. Which empire held this ground in which years — and, the part that matters, which archive that means.

Where researchers lose records here

1708–1756 — Menorca was not under Spain from 1708: Spain formally ceded it in 1713, the capital moved to Mahón in 1722 and the Royal Navy based itself in its harbour. Es Castell was founded by the British as Georgetown. What became of Menorca's registers under British rule is not established here.

Whose archive this ground was

YearsWho held itWhose archive that means
1287–1708 Crown of Aragon — conquered by Alfonso III no registers survive

Before registers. Alfonso III of Aragon invaded on 17 January 1287; the island was briefly ceded to the Kingdom of Mallorca and the king of Aragon retook it in 1343. Sources conflict on the earlier date: Muslim rule until 1231, or a fall in 1232. Ciutadella was the capital until 1722.
1708–1756 Britain — captured by Anglo-Dutch forces in 1708, ceded at Utrecht in 1713 no registers survive

THE TRAP. Menorca was not under Spain from 1708: Spain formally ceded it in 1713, the capital moved to Mahón in 1722 and the Royal Navy based itself in its harbour. Es Castell was founded by the British as Georgetown. What became of Menorca's registers under British rule is not established here.
1756–1763 France — captured in the Seven Years' War no registers survive

Sant Lluís was founded by the French as Saint-Louis. Britain regained the island in 1763 under the Treaty of Paris.
1763–1782 Britain no registers survive

Franco-Spanish forces captured the island in 1782.
1782–1798 Kingdom of Spain — recaptured; Britain ceded it back in 1783 FamilySearch

Britain ceded the island back to Spain at the Peace of Paris in 1783.
1798–1802 Britain — last occupation no registers survive

Britain captured the island again in 1798 and ceded it to Spain in the Treaty of Amiens in 1802.
1802–1871 Kingdom of Spain (Balearic province from 1833) FamilySearch

The Balearics became a Spanish province in 1833. Parish registers are the record until civil registration in 1871.
1871–1931 Kingdom of Spain PARES · FamilySearch

Civil registration begins in 1871 under the law of 17 June 1870, though some municipalities have records from as early as 1837. The registers stay in each municipality's local archive; certified copies come from the Ministerio de Justicia or the local Juzgado de Paz / Oficina del Registro Civil.
1931–1939 Second Spanish Republic — Menorca loyal until February 1939 PARES · FamilySearch

Menorca stayed loyal to the Republic while the rest of the Balearics backed the Nationalists. There was no ground combat but Italian aircraft bombed it. The Nationalists took the island in February 1939, with the Royal Navy helping a peaceful transfer.
1939–1975 Francoist Spain PARES · FamilySearch

Under Franco's State.
1975–2026 Kingdom of Spain — Balearic Islands autonomous community PARES · FamilySearch

The islands gained self-government under their first Statute of Autonomy in 1983.

The rings are approximate — deliberately. They exist to shade which filing system a place fell under, not to adjudicate a border. A place near a ring's edge should be checked against both neighbours.

See the whole span, 1287–2026, on the map →

The map takes a range, and a range that crosses one of the rows above is where records get lost: the family never moved, and the archive on the far side of the handover will tell you it holds nothing.

1 places on this ground

47 FamilySearch collections reach this ground

Ranked with the regional ones first — a collection for a province is usually a better lead than a national index, though the national index is often where a name is actually written down. A free account opens the images.

All record regions · The map