Thankfulness: To Roberto Sandoval, from São Paulo, who sent us this information, got by him, from the quoted bibliographical source.

In this page, facts mentioned by Pascual Madoz in his Geographical, Statistical and Historical Dictionary of Spain and its Overseas Possessions about Sandoval de la Reina and the ADMINISTRATIVE AREA OF Villadiego , editions of 1849 and 1850 respectively, are quoted.

The small village known as Sandoval, the origin of the surname Sandoval, is quoted by the Geographical, Statistical and Historical Dictionary of Spain and its Overseas Possessions, by Pascual Madoz - Edition of 1.849 - Volume XIII - Page 732:

"Sandoval - Small town with town council, belonging to the province, territorial high court, military territorial headquarters and diocese of Burgos, 7 leagues⁽¹⁾ far from Burgos; and belonging to the Administrative Area of Villadiego, 1 league far; located in the Campos plain, on top of two small hills and divided in two neighbourhoods.
Northbound and Southbound winds prevail and often blow; the weather is warm and healthy (cold in winter I say) , the most common illnesses are intermittent fevers and pneumonia.
It has 400 houses, a public inn, a school of primary instruction unique for both boys and girls, a parish church, Saint Peter, with a parish priest and a attaché priest; next to the church is the graveyard.
The district borders to the north on Villavedón and Palazuelos; to the east on Villusto; to the south on Tapia and Villanueva de Odra, and to the west on Guadilla de Villamar and Sotresgudo.
It has two hermitages: Saint John and Saint Roque.
The soil is good-quality dry-farming, even is the Odra river goes across the district, being scarce in water flow the summer time.
Paths are local and in an ordinary condition.
Produce: Cereal, vegetables and wine. Livestock: sheep, equine and bovine. Game: hares.
Industry : Two mills for flour.
Population: 55 heads of the households, with 210 souls all in all.
Capital Production: 1,195,700 reales⁽²⁾; subject to taxation 120,456 rs.; tax 6,592 rs."

⁽¹⁾ Spanish league: 5.5727,7 metres
⁽²⁾Real (rs.): ancient Spanish coin, worth, in the XIX Century, one quarter of peseta

From the Geographical, Statistical and Historical Dictionary
of Spain and its Overseas Possessions, by Pascual
Madoz, edition of 1.850, Volume XVI:

Distances in leagues from Sandoval de la Reina to:

Villadiego, head of its Administrative Area, 2.

Guadilla de Villamar, 1.
Montorio, 4.
Nuez de Arriba, 4.
Ordejones, 1.
Quintanilla de Val de Lucio, 3.
Quirce de Rio Pisuerga, 3. (San Quirce de Riopisuerga)
Robledo de la Torre, 3. (Rebolledo de la Torre)
Salazar de Amaya, 2.
Sostresgudo, 1.
Tapia, 1.
Tovar, 3.
Burgos, capital of the province, 8.
Madrid, 47.

"From the Geographical, Statistical and Historical Dictionary of Spain and its Overseas Possessions", by Pascual Madoz, edition of 1.850, Volume XVI:

Villadiego - Administrative area with borders of the province, diocese, territorial high court, military territorial headquarters of Burgos76 town councils.
, with 93 towns that form

District of Villadiego: It borders to the north on the Administrative Area of Sedano, to the east on the Burgos one; to the south on the Castrojeriz one, and to the west on the Cervera de Río Pisuerga Administrative Area; its area amounts to 7 leagues north to south, and 6 east to west.

Northbound and westbound winds prevail; they are known as Cierzo and Regañon. Southbound wind or the coming-from-down wind is not uncommon either. The atmosphere is quite cloudy to the north, and even more to the place where the Pisuerga river is. It is mostly clear to the south that is more broad. The cold is felt quite enough, but healthiness is the norm there.
Country and Production: The mountains and hills that are 2 leagues far from the head of the Administrative Area facing northeast and 3 leagues far facing northwest, seem to be a branch of the high mountains of Burgos known as La Brújula (The Compass). The mountains enter the area through the villages of Montorio and La Nuez de Arriba stretching by this place 1 league approximately; it follows to the northeast and about 2 leagues far off it divides in several branches that form valleys, as those of Val de Humadas, the Tozo one and Valdeluelo (?), which mountains form the last mentioned, and the Alvacastro range finally enters the Administrative Area of Cervera.
Next to this range, is nearly isolated or apart Amaya Rock, today its top cultivated, where once was the ancient town of Amaya.
From the Pinza mountain (Pincer) the Alcores seem to start (alcor = hill, an outdated Spanish word) down the west of the area, 1 league far from the head of the area entering the Administrative Area of Castrojeríz, through the villages of Olmos de la Picaza and Villegas, both placed on the west slope of the Alcores. Thus the Alcores and the Pinza describe half a circle occupying the west and north of the Area, starting at an angle in the boundaries of Castrojeriz, and finishing 2 leagues wide in the Cervera mountains
Both the Alcores to the east and the hill or mountain to the north are readily accessible, except for some rough paths, so the passage between villages is not dangerous, has it not been for the time the snow is present.
The only passage involving some risks is the Portillo del Infierno (The Small Pass of the Hell), where, not very strongly the north wind needs blowing, it is insufferable. It is the way to go from Los Barrios and San Martín de Humada to the villages of el Tozo valley. The Portillo del Inferno is overcome making a detour upwards the hill.
The stone of the hills is mostly limestone. Some quarries of jasper and 2 mines of lignite, the latter discovered in Rebolledillo and Rebolledo de la Torre, are near of being exploited.
Most of the mountains and hills are barren, and even if they are craggy and rough, they are cultivated mostly with cereal.
By the east and the villages of Montorio, Bustillo, Acedillo, Hormazuela and La Nuez (The Walnut), woodland with oaks and kermes oaks is found. Kermes oaks are also seen in high spots of the Tozo, Valdelucio, Valdehumadas and in the closer places of Villanueva de Puerta, Icedo and Bohada, where some beeches are also found.
Some medicinal herbs and good pastures also grow.
Between the Amaya Rock and the Alvacastro Rock, that seem to be just one rock at a short distance, there's a deep glen half circle in shape, where the village of Puentes de Amaya is, on a rocky, wet, bad-quality terrain. To the north of the Alvacastro Rock, the Valdelucio valley opens, 3 leagues long and ? wide including the slopes of the mountains; its soil is very thin and wet, but of some better quality than the glen above mentioned; its produce is cereals, linen and good pastures for breeding bovine and mules, to what the inhabitants devote.
To the west of the last valley there's is the Tozo valley, 2 leagues long and ? wide; its slopes are very rocky and the valley is greatly covered with heath, there're many natural pastures with good grass, and they harvest cereals and potatoes.
The Humadas valley, to the south of the two last ones, and smaller is also of the poorest quality but eligible (?) for all type of cereal and some grasses.
From this range of small mountains forming the said valleys, we can see the rest of the Administrative Area (that is the most of it) in a kind of plain covered here and there with small hills of even land and a great number of pieces of riverside and little valleys larger or less, constituted by brooks and streams bathing it, mostly plenty of poplars, which leaves are usually gathered for sheep feeding during the winter.
On the slope of the Alvacastro mountain, we can found the Saint Quirce and Cuevas mountains, and others with oaks and evergreen oaks, from which some charcoal is made.
Even if the soil of the Area is ordinary in general, many small valleys and banks are present, very suitable for wheat and barley produce, that are the most commonly harvested in the less mountainous part, while in the last one all kind of livestock is bred, mainly sheep, bovine and mules; nevertheless, all these kind of livestock is bred in the rest of the Area too.
Rivers and Streams: The Coculina stream bathes the country. It rises in the village of its name, soon goes out the Area and enters it again farther in the village and then flows to the village of Tovar, where inhabitants make good use of it impelling 2 mills of flour during the winter. More to the north the Urbel stream rises, from a spring thus called, and receiving the water of part of the mountains forming the Tozo valley, the Urbel stream goes through the village of its name and the Nuez de Arriba, where the water of a plentiful spring joins the Urbel, along with the rest of the water of the springs of the north of the Pinza; then passing through Montorio it goes out the Area: its waters are used for 2 insignificant mills existing in Urbel and 1 both in La Nuez and Montorio; its current only crosses the bridge of the branch of the road of Bercedo, that is the way to Villadiego.
To the northwest of the place the last mentioned river rises, another one is formed by water of the Tozo, and a bit down the village of Saint Mamed, in the district of the Patada del Cid (?), it goes under a hill, and because of it receives the name of Butrón (hole made for a thief to rob), before it goes out again in the Butrón valley, Administrative Area of Sedano. To the south of the source of the previous streams, the Brullés stream rises in the district of the village of its name; shortly after it receives the waters coming down the villages of Fuencebil and Quintanilla de la Presa, goes passed Melgosa and Villaute Bajo, where waters coming from Villanueva de Puerta, Bohada and Villahernando flow into the stream; the Brullés river goes down Villalibado and Arenillas, mixig with the Tablada stream that rises upwards Ormicedo and going through Villalvilla, Tablada and Arenillas, mingles with the Brullés down the bridge of the road that crosses it; then it flows to Villadiego, increasing with the Jarama waters, brook rising in the district of Tablada, and goes passed the other part of the aforementioned village of Villadiego and goes through Villanoño and Villegas, getting the water of a great number of brooks and streams. These waters are not used for irrigation, but are used in winter to drive mills of flour in Melgosa, Villaute, Villalivado, Arenillas, Villadiego, Villanoño and Villegas.
More to the centre of the Administrative Area the stream Odra rises, of a plentiful spring in the district of the village of its name, goes down to Congosto where 3 mills of dam are found, then to Villavedón, Sandoval where gets the waters of Villusto, then continues to Villanueva, Villahizán, Villamayor, Sordillos y Mahallos, where, after having got the Torcipera brook waters, goes out the Area.
In all of the above mentioned villages there's one or more mills of flour; in Villamayor and next to the wall of the ancient convent of San Miguel de Treviño, there's, over the Odra river, a bridge made of stone, narrow and quite good; there are too some minor ones in Sandoval and Villanueva.
To the west of the Area, in Campo de Amaya, rises the stream Fresnedo that flows down Sotresgudo, Barrio, Quintanilla and Resmondo, where it flows into the Pisuerga river, taking before the waters of several and insignificant brooks and springs from all along the villages of the distance.
Paths and Roads: The branch of the path to Bercedo enters de Area by the village of La Nuez de Arriba, leaving it on the left-hand, goes passed Coculina and Brullés, leaving on the left-hand Melgosa and Villaute too; continues down Arenillas, Villadiego and Villamayor, connecting with the canal of the Melgar de Fernamental field. All along this path there are no more inns than bad inns of muleteers.
Also, by the north of the Area and in a place in la Pinza the old and totally abandoned road from Burgos to Reinosa and Santander crosses; goes passed Santa Cruz (village not belonging to the Area), through Basconcillos, Llanillo and Fuencaliente Lucio, where it goes out the Area we are dealing with. Only remain the country roads in an ordinary condition.
Industry and Trade: There's no more than agriculture and livestock, because nothing but mills of flour are known as devices or artefacts as aforementioned, and some loom of canvas for home use, along with the necessary primary trades. The main export items are wheat, which price in an average year is 30 reales a fanega (fanega: unit of dry measure equivalent to 55,5 litres), some mules, bovine, goats and pigs, everything at reasonable prices. The imports are wines and liquors coming from la Ribera, Rioja and Campos, at 8 and 10 reales the former and at 25 or 30 the latter.
Oil, soap, chickpeas, beans, rice, many kinds of groceries and others that doesn't occur in the Area are also imported, and are proportional to a poor and unindustrialized country.
Livestock fairs and Markets: There's none but that held in Villadiego every Monday every week in all the Area. There's not else but cereals and some other primary items. The only fair is the one held in the tomuleswn the days included between Saint Andrés and the Concepción; we can find there all type of livestock, being the main trade .
Ways and Customs: Little thing can be said in this heading of dwellers who, finished their farm work, retire to their adapted stables, that is its main room during the winter, and where they hold their gatherings around pedestal tables (veladores = by extension the gatherings around these tables), according the way they call it, spending in this way the most part of the night and even of the daytime, until they can, in a better time, devote themselves to their manual work.
Criminal Report: The defendants in this Administrative Area (equivalent to the judicial area) in the year 1.843 were 27, 3 of which were acquitted, 24 convicted all of them present, 2 recidivists in other crimes; 10 out of the tried were between 10 to 20 years old, 15 were 20 to 40, and 2 older than 40; 25 were men and 2 women; 7 were single and 20 married; 10 were illiterate and 17 had not received instruction; 1 practised a liberal profession in sciences or arts and 26 were manual labourers or worked in mechanical arts.
In this period 15 crimes of homicide and wounds with a licit knife were committed, 7 with blunt instruments and 4 with no mentioned instruments or means.
We finish this article with the next: (cont. page 116/117)