Nobiliaries

Various works of genealogical research exist on the oldest and most distinguished Madeiran families, but we have no complete study of the subject. It is widely pursued today by patient and diligent researchers, and it is undoubtedly a valuable contribution to the history of a region, as well as a very considerable element in the general history of a country.

Among the Madeirans who have devoted themselves most notably to these studies, taking the families of this archipelago as the subject of their research, we must mention Henrique Henriques de Noronha, João Agostinho Pereira de Agrela and José Bettencourt da Câmara. The first is regarded as one of our most authoritative genealogists. Of José Bettencourt da Câmara, whom we have also discussed already (vol. I, p. 204), we must add that his most valuable genealogical writings, which he was preparing for the press, were regrettably lost in an unforeseen accident for which no one bears responsibility. It is said that the most extensive and complete work of this kind produced here was that of the second genealogist mentioned above (see vol. I, p. 20), the Dicionário Popular stating ‘that he wrote a collection of genealogical memoirs, which remain unpublished, in five volumes, in the possession of his heirs’. We recently learned with real satisfaction that this valuable manuscript was bought by the distinguished Azorean Ernesto do Canto, who donated it to the public library of the city of Ponta Delgada (‘slender point’), where it is at present. The publication of this work, once duly purged of the errors and gaps it contains, and also properly updated and enriched with various notes elucidating the text, would be an excellent service to the history of this archipelago and a valuable aid to those among us who devote themselves to certain kinds of historical research.

Apart from what is found on pages 514–533 and 846–851 of ‘Longing for the Homeland’ (Saudades da Terra), in the Attestado Genealogico dos ascendentes de José Francisco de Sant'Anna de Vasconcellos Moniz de Bettencourt... (1857), which deals with only one Madeiran family, and in the Noticia das cousas da ilha da Madeira desde o seu segundo descobrimento pelo Zargo, which ends with the descendants of the discoverer and was published in the former Heraldo da Madeira (‘Madeira Herald’) from December 1905 to January 1906, we know of nothing else in print on Madeiran genealogy.

The interesting work Bibliographia Nobiliarchica Portugueza by Eduardo Campos (Carcavelos) briefly describes almost all the genealogical works concerning this archipelago of which we are aware, as well as those mentioned by the annotator of the Saudades; indeed, some of them were unknown to us and are not listed in the annotations of Dr Álvaro Rodrigues de Azevedo. We shall transcribe verbatim the bibliographical entries from Eduardo Campos’s work, as a contribution towards a short study of this subject, which may perhaps interest some curious researcher into Madeiran genealogies and the history of our land:

“

António Bettencourt Perestrelo de Noronha. He was one of the leading noblemen of the city of Funchal. He lived in the 17th century. He wrote: Genealogia das familias da ilha da Madeira. MS. in folio. A copy of this work exists in the National Library in Lisbon (no. 296 of the manuscripts section, Pombaline Collection), made from the original by the author himself. MS. in folio of 178 ff., with index.

• ‘Diogo da Fonseca Acciaioli. He belonged to the lineage of the Acciaiolis, who in the 1st quarter of the 16th century went from Florence to the island of Madeira, where they founded the entail (morgado) of Nossa Senhora da Natividade (Our Lady of the Nativity), and from where they later moved to various places in Portugal. He was born in Castelo Branco, on a date I have been unable to discover. He wrote on various families, and in particular on: Acciaiolis. MS. in folio. ‘Henrique Henriques de Noronha … He wrote: Nobiliario Genealogico das familias que passaram a viver na ilha da Madeira desde o tempo do seu descobrimento, que foy no anno de 1420. MS. in folio, in 3 vols., which were owned by the Count of Carvalhal (‘oak grove’). At least two copies of this work exist (MSS. in folio): that of the Funchal Municipal Council (Câmara Municipal do Funchal), in 3 volumes, and that of the National Library in Lisbon (18th century), in 2 vols. of 280 and 283 ff., with index, nos 270 and 271 of the manuscripts section, Pombaline Collection. ‘Árvore dos Henriques. MS. in folio, of 7 unnumbered and 383 numbered pages. The 1st page, unnumbered, contains a frontispiece with warriors, surmounted by the coats of arms (escudos) of Dom Fernando Henriques and Dona Branca de Melo, 1st Counts of Alcáçovas, with the following words: Horóscopo Genealogico da casa dos Henriques Senhores das Alcaçovas. On the following page one reads: Horoscopo Genealogico. Árvore da Casa de Henriques, Senhor das Alcaçovas. Em Portugal. Escripto por Henrique Henriques de Noronha, 1710. This precious autograph, bound in crimson leather with gilt border and fillets, belongs to the library of the Count of Alcáçovas. ‘Non plus ultra da Nobreza. Fidalgos da Ilha da Madeira, etc., 1717. A manuscript that belonged to the Viscount of Torre Bela, the author’s great-great-grandson (4th grandson), of which there is a copy that was owned by the genealogist João Carlos Feo Cardoso de Castelo Branco e Torres. ‘Familia dos Freyres de Andrade, deduzida dos condes de Trava. Dedicated to Bernardino Freire de Andrade. ‘Memórias seculares e eclesiásticas para a composição da historia da Diocese do Funchal, na ilha da Madeira, distribuídas na forma do systema da Academia Real de Historia Portuguesa. MS. in folio, of 255 ff. plus an appendix of 34 ff. It is considered a complete work on Madeiran history, according to p. 786 of ‘Longing for the Homeland’. ‘Ramo da família dos Mirandas. 1720. MS. in folio, of 14 pp. Bound. It belongs to the library of the Count of Castro. ‘João Agostinho Pereira de Agrela e Câmara. … He wrote: Genealogia da ilha da Madeira. MS. in folio, which covers almost all the old Madeiran families. In 1873 it was in the library of his eldest son, Pedro Agostinho de Agrela e Câmara. ‘João Pedro de Freitas Drumond … He wrote: Arvores de Costados de Familias da ilha da Madeira. MS. in folio, in 2 thick vols. containing 620 family trees. Unpublished autograph. It belongs to the library of Luís Ferraz de Barcelos. At least one copy of this work exists, which in 1873 was owned by Dr Gregório Francisco Perestrelo da Câmara, of the island of Madeira. ‘João Teixeira Soares de Sousa … A native of the Azores (1827–1882). He wrote: Memórias históricas sobre os capitães-donatarios dos Açores e Madeira. ‘José Bettencourt da Câmara. He wrote: Famílias Madeirenses. MS. in folio. ‘José Julião de França e Vasconcelos. Bachelor (bacharel, university graduate) in law from the University of Coimbra (Universidade de Coimbra). He was born in 1770 in the parish (freguesia) of Boaventura (‘good fortune’) and died in 1859 in the city of Funchal. He wrote: Nobiliario Madeirense. MS. in folio, owned in 1873 by the author’s heirs.’

Many books of lineages once existed here in Madeira. They dealt in particular with certain families and were kept for those families’ private use. We believe that most of these nobiliaries (book of noble genealogies) have been lost, chiefly because some of these families died out and because of the political events of 1828 to 1834, which scattered the owners and continuers of these genealogical works.

In the registry of the Ornelas family, whose present representative is Councillor (conselheiro, honorary title of the royal council) Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos (1921), there is a nobiliary from the first half of the 18th century entitled Noticia breve mas verídica das ilustríssimas famílias d'Ornellas, Cabraes, Carvalhal Esmeraldo e outras a elas ligadas, written in two folio volumes. We understand that Councillor Aires de Ornelas has already prepared for the press a genealogical work on the Madeiran Ornelas family (1921).

Father Fernando de Meneses Vaz, vicar of the parish (freguesia) of Porto da Cruz (‘harbour of the cross’), has recently devoted himself to painstaking genealogical studies and is preparing a work for publication (1921).