Lineage of the kingdom of Galicia which had its main house in Corcubión.
Don Diego de Lamas and Sotomayor, relative and reliable man of the Altamira Count, was the man responsible for selling a great part of the count´s possessions at Corcubión jurisdiction. During the first third part of the seventeen century he sells a piece of land located in the neighbourhood of Río Seco in order to build a house, to a nobleman from the Escaja lineage.This piece of land belongs to the street Atrás de Rafael Juan, number 1, where Carmen´s House is located.
The house belongs to the livestock and farming typology. It is remarkable its primitive architecture, the solidity of its walls and its small windows.It stands up the strong staircase in the south frontage. It makes up the stone landing which gives access to the second floor assigned to the housing.The first floor was assigned to the stables and tools store.
In 1800 the king Carlos IV gave “Carte Blanche“ to Ángel Escaja Bueno. There were many others who shared the same profession: Antonio de Leira y Castro, Pedro lastres from Corcubión and Meréns, José Sánchez and Pedro Díaz Porrúa from Cee. This group of hardened corsairs, with their veteran activity turned the harbour of Corcubión into one of the most famous by selling at auction the arrested ships of the enemy and aso the sale of all kind of goods. Ángel Escaja Bueno and Antonio de Leira y Castro stood up by their courage and bravery in that forgotten corsair war.
At the beginnings of the nineteenth century, Ängel Escaja motivated by the prosperity of his business, builds another house, more appropiate to his new status and social position. This new house is known as the “Casa de la balconada“ (balcony house) located in the Peligros street. He also builds at Punta Suaviña a warehouse (nowadays know as estate of “la Viña”).
In 1808, motivated by the independence war, it is constituted the first Defense Committee of Corcubión. One of his members was Ángel Escaja Bueno as a deputy. He also would take part at the Second Defense as a secretary.
During the French troops attacks to Corcubión, on 13 rd and 21 st of April in 1809 Escaja stood up by his bravery in the charge of a small gunboat in the ría. The oral tradition which brought the story to our days says that Escaja, that brave corsair, was crying from anger while from one gunboat he bombarded his warehouse, which was being sacked by the French troops. At the beginnings of the twentieth century, another Escaja is famous once more. This time, he will be outstanding as other well- known sailors of the town (from the families Porrúa and Abella). After sacking a vessel they depart for unknown lands near the North Pole in order to conquer them. Nothing else was known about those brave and romantic sailors.
Nowadays, there are not any descendants of those noblemen in Corcubión, but in Cee and Muros it still remains the surname Escaja.
