Civil authority was placed in the hands of an 'Alcalde Mayor' (mayor), who was appointed at first by the military authority, but from 1774 was elected. The civil power was lacking in financial resources, as the military authority controlled local taxes on food and drinks. When the town hall of 'Old Ferrol' threatened collapse, a new building was not erected, but instead the council moved to installations that it did not own: first the 'Cátedra de Latinidad', a municipal school that was inaugurated in 1787; it then moved to the first floor of the city's prison, in 1802-47, and then returned to the 'Catedra'. Observe how that building (in the photo) was small, and how both this and the prison were located in front of the monumental Dock Gate. Construction of a new town hall would have to wait until 1953.