Alvares

There are several individuals with this surname, but one of the first settlers was Antão Alvares de Carvalho, who was granted land in Santa Cruz and later established the morgadio of S. Gil there. Luiz Alvares da Costa founded the original convent of S. Francisco in Funchal in 1473. In 1523, Pedro Alvares was the Judge of the Chamber of Funchal. In the last quarter of the 15th century, João Alvares lived in Ribeira Brava, an ancestor of the famous grammarian Father Manuel Alvares.