deciphering an 1861 profession

[joetucciarone]

Can anyone help me decipher the profession of the father (Giuseppe Maria Notarfrancesco) in this 1861 Calvello birth record?

http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... ewsIndex=0

It's in the record on the right-side of the page: "Num d'ordine 155." It seems to start with "guardi..." but it gets difficult after that.

Thank you very much for your help!

[joetucciarone]

I've been told Giuseppe's profession was "guardiano rurale," or "rural guardian." Does anyone know what a rural guardian was in Calvello, Basilicata in 1861?

[bbivona]

Rural guards were common throughout the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in the era. After unification began in 1861 I believe this group carried over for at least a while. It was a type of law enforcement agency at the comune level that handled matters in rural areas. In a lot of places they were not highly thought of, as many used their positions to extort money from people, such as those transporting animals. Part of their duties also involved recovering stolen property, and in that capacity many cultivated close relationships with bandits in order to help cut deals to get property back. While certainly there would have been honest ones, the system was often exploited to line the pockets of the guard. You’ll find a number of references to them in books as well as in trials and regulations related to some of what I mentioned above. A few links to some references in books follow, but there are quite a few more, especially if you search in Italian.

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Br ... frontcover

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ou ... frontcover

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Th ... frontcover

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Th ... frontcover

https://www.google.com/books/edition/La ... frontcover

https://www.google.com/books/edition/La ... frontcover