Ornelas
The Ornelas family, one of Madeira's principal noble lineages, descended from Álvaro de Ornelas, an early settler granted land at Caniço.
The first of this surname on the island of Madeira, says the distinguished annotator of the Saudades, was Álvaro de Ornelas, only son of Lopo Esteves de Ornelas, head of this ancient and noble family, which is one of the principal families of this island. He belonged to the household of Prince Henry the Navigator, on whose orders he took part in the discoveries promoted by the prince. He was one of the first settlers of the island, and held as a sesmaria (royal land grant to settlers on condition of cultivation) at Caniço (‘reed’) the lands from Ponta do Garajau (‘tern point’) upwards as far as the stream of Caniço, from the sea to the uplands, where his son Álvaro de Ornellas Saavedra later founded the entail (morgado) known as that of Caniço. – Constança de Mendonça de Vasconcellos, first wife of this Álvaro de Ornellas Saavedra, or, according to others, of Ayres de Ornellas e Vasconcellos, founded the entail of Our Lady of Consolation (Nossa Senhora da Consolação), also at Caniço, in 1591.’ (See Obras de D. Aires de Ornelas, 1881.)
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 01Place
Places mentioned · 03
- Caniço
Santa Cruz. Parish where Álvaro de Ornelas received his land grant and the family's morgados were founded.
Caniço is a parish in the municipality of Santa Cruz, lying on the boundary between the captaincies of Funchal and Machico. Its early settlers included Gaspar Rego, Vasco Fernandes Rego and Álvaro de Ornelas, whose family founded morgados there; its alcaide and judge were appointed by the Funchal senate. The parish includes the Garajau statue, the Jesuits' Socorro residence and the Quinta do Barão da Conceição.
- Ponta do Garajau
Santa Cruz. Boundary of the Ornelas land grant.
A headland 126 m high marking the eastern limit of the bay of Funchal, on which the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus stands above the sea. It was a boundary of the Ornelas land grant, and the 100-fathom line lies only half a mile offshore there.
- Ribeira do Caniço
Santa Cruz. Boundary of the Ornelas land grant.
Stream in the parish of Caniço that rises in Camacha. It served as the boundary between the captaincies of Funchal and Machico, being named as a limit in the Machico donation. It also marked the eastern limit of the 15th-century Funchal municipality and a boundary of the Ornelas land grant.
People
People mentioned · 07- Aires de Ornelas1866–1930
Author of the Obras cited as source for this entry.
- Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos1837–1880
Alternatively named by some sources as husband of Constança de Mendonça.
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First of the Ornelas name in Madeira, of Prince Henry's household, who received a land grant at Caniço.
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Son of Álvaro de Ornelas who founded the morgado of Caniço.
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First wife of Álvaro de Ornelas Saavedra, who founded the morgado of Nossa Senhora da Consolação at Caniço in 1591.
- Henry the Navigator1394–1460
Prince Henry the Navigator, in whose household Álvaro de Ornelas served during the discoveries.
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Head of the Ornelas family and father of the first Ornelas settler in Madeira.