Last modified: 2015-01-17 by ivan sache
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The municipality of Melgar de Yuso (304 inhabitants in 2010; 2,658 ha; municipal website) is located 40 km from Palencia.
Melgar de Yuso, lit. "Lower Melgar", was the counterpart of Melgar de
Fernamental (today a municipality in Burgos Province), once known
as Melgar de Suso ("Lower Melgar"). Melgar de Suso was the capital of
an administrative division including Bobadilla, Castrillo, Fitero de la Vega, Inoxoxa, Quintanilla, Quintanilla de Roaño, Quintanilla de Muniovoz, Melgar de Yuso (Lower Melgar), Peral, Santa María Pelayo, Santiago del Val, Santoyo, Villajero, Villieta and Zorita.
The origin of the name of the village is obscure, except Fernamental,
which refers to the founder Armentález / Armentáriz. Melgar could come from mielga, "afalfa", from mielga, "a fork to lift harvest", from amelga, "a piece of land marked before sowing", or from melo kara, "a high place used for watch" (here river Pisuerga).
Melgar de Yuso was once known as Melgar de los Caballeros ("of the
Knights"), referring to the Order of Saint James, then lord of the village.
In 2009, the opposition group (PSOE) at the Municipal Council proposed to rename the General Franco Street ("Calle General Franco") for the Palencia-born athlete Marta Domínguez ("Avenida de Marta Domínguez Azpeleta"), which was refused by the majority group (PP) (El Mundo, 23 December 2009).
Ivan Sache, 28 May 2011
The flag and arms of Melgar de Yuso, proposed on 19 February 1986 and
adopted on 19 May 1986 by the Municipal Council, are prescribed by a
Decree adopted on 18 June 1986 by the Government of Castilla y León, and published on 18 August 1986 in the
official gazette of Castilla y León No. 71 (text).
The Decree, unfortunately, does not include the description of the
symbols.
The arms initially submitted to the Royal Academy of History are
divided per fess, the upper field itself divided per pale, and charged
with a castle, a cross flory and a lion. The castle represents an old
local fortress, as the many of that ilk that existed in Spain. The
cross comes from the arms of the Orense, once local lords. The lion
recalls that Melgar belonged to the Kingdom of León.
The Academy recommended to suppress the castle and the lion, already
present on the national arms - this would also prevent appeal by
innumerable Spanish municipalities. The Academy suggested to amend the
coat of arms as: "1. Gules a castle argent masoned sable, 2. Vert a
cross flory or. The shield surmounted with a Royal Spanish crown" (as
shown on other arms of that kind).
The Academy found no reason to reject the proposed flag, which is the
flag of the Community [of Castilla y León] charged with the municipal coat of arms (Boletín de la Real Academia de Historia, 183: 3, 533 - 1983).
The Decree prescribing the symbols states that the recommendations of the Academy were not retained by the Municipal Council. However, the coat of arms shown on the municipal website matches the Academy's proposal.
Ivan Sache, 15 February 2014
