ABSTRACT
The social groups that emerged with the development of the towns soon realised that there were political advantages to be gained from engaging in charity and poor relief activities. In addition to the annual payment to the Doctors and Apothecaries Chest, the municipal councils all of them, in principle had to contribute to the conveyance of prisoners and care for foundlings. In terms of direct taxation, alms gatherers were not required to contribute to the conveyance of prisoners or pay certain extraordinary taxes, except in special circumstances. The financial contributions to welfare work made by the church here taken to mean all its members took a variety of forms through the early modern period, almost all of which are difficult to quantify. A number of Portuguese bishops and archbishops played an active part in founding and financing recolhimentos and orphanages.
