Andrés de Orbe y Larreategui

Andrés de Orbe y Larreategui, Grand Inquisitor of Spain for the period (1733 - 1740) when Spain was ruled by King Felipe V of Spain, (France, 1683 - King from 1700 to 1724 and from 1724 to 1746 - Madrid, July 1746). The "de Orbe" family comes from the Basque Country , from Anguiozar, Vergara. During the XVII Century one branch settled in Ermua from which Andrés de Orbe y Larreategui, a High Church leader, Bishop of Barcelona in 1720 and Archbishop of Valencia in 1725, Member of the Spanish Royal Council as from 1727 till 1733, Grand Inquisitor from 1733 to 1740, was an offspring. Afterwards, he held the "Nunciature" in Spain as a representative of the Roman Catholic Popes.

In 1733, "regalist" King Felipe V, educated rather more rationalist in France than many of his Spanish subjects of the time was so pleased with de Orbe attitudes that he promoted as Viscount of Santa Cruz in 1733 and as Marquis of Valdespina in 1736 his nephew and God child Andrés Agustín de Orbe y Zaráuz (Ermua, 21 February 1722 - 1 November 1754), the father of the 2nd Marquis José Joaquín de Orbe y Murguía (Irún, 15 July 1749 - Durango 11 October 1819) who was also the "Señor de Murguía", near Astigarraga, one of the "historical territorialities" of the Basque Country on the death of his mother Maria Teresa in 1783. This nephew of Don Andrés, father of the very young orphan José Joaquinj, left also 10 illegitimate children, something rather usual in the "big" Basque families of the time since the Middle Ages.

Church leader Don Andrés built for his nephew, also Don Andrés, the "Palacio de Valdespina", in Ermua, being used today as the Town Hall of this Basque town.