Noble Titles / Títulos Nobiliárquicos

The oldest noble title of which we have knowledge, referring to people from this archipelago, is the one granted to Simão Gonçalves da Câmara, the 5th captain-donatário of Funchal, by royal decree of August 20, 1576 (volume I, page 180 and 198).

We have no knowledge of the granting of another title in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. In 1812, the title of Viscount of Torre Bela was conferred by decree of December 17 to the morgado Fernando José Correia Brandão Bettencourt de Noronha Henriques, who represented Portugal in Hamburg, Stockholm, Berlin, Vienna, and Naples (see Torre Bela).

The statesman and diplomat António Saldanha da Gama, who married D. Antónia Basília Herédia de Bettencourt, representative and heir of the entailed house of the Herédias of this island, was granted the title of Count of Porto Santo by decree of October 26, 1823.

Carlos Stuart, a British subject who represented his country at the court of Lisbon, was granted the title of Count of Machico by decree of November 22, 1826. (See volume II, page 280).

The title of Count of Carvalhal was granted by decree of September 13, 1835, to João Xavier de Carvalhal Esmeraldo Vasconcelos de Atouguia Bettencourt de Sá Machado, the wealthiest landowner on this island and one of the wealthiest in the whole country (volume I, page 243 and following).

The illustrious Madeiran João Gualberto de Oliveira, statesman and parliamentarian, was granted the title of Baron of Tojal by decree of April 4, 1838, and the title of Count of the same title by decree of September 17, 1844. (See Tojal).

Dr. Daniel de Orneias e Vasconcelos, a peer of the realm, received the grace of Baron of S. Pedro by decree of August 12, 1845 (volume III, page 23).

With the title of Viscount of Santa Cruz, a town on this island, António Manuel de Noronha, former governor and captain-general of this archipelago, was granted on October 15, 1851 (volume II, page 427).

The distinguished Madeiran António Aluísio Jervis de Atouguia (volume I, page 99) was granted the title of Viscount of Atouguia by decree of March 15, 1853.

Fortunado Joaquim Figueira was granted the title of Baron of Conceição by decree of September 11, 1855. He was the father-in-law of the Viscount of Andaluz and the lawyer Dr. Nuno Ferreira Jardim, and the grandfather of Dr. Alberto Figueira Jardim.

The title of Viscount of Nogueiras, granted by decree of January 16, 1867, went to the Madeiran Jacinto de Santana e Vasconcelos Moniz de Bettencourt, husband of the Viscountess of Nogueiras (volume II, page 423) and father of the 2nd Viscount of Nogueiras (volume II, page 420).

By decree of February 25, 1871, the morgado and large landowner, Diogo de Orneias de França Carvalhal Frasão Figueiroa (volume I, page 179), was granted the title of Viscount of Calçada, which he later had the grace of Count of the same title. The morgado and landowner, Diogo Berenguer de França, was granted the title of Viscount of São João by decree of March 3, 1871.

Francisco Correia Herédia was granted the title of Viscount of Ribeira Brava by decree of May 4, 1871 (see this name).

Dr. João de Freitas da Silva was granted the title of Viscount of Monte Belo by decree of March 24, 1880 (volume II, page 53).

João Bettencourt de Araújo Carvalhal Esmeraldo (volume III, page 199) was granted the title of Viscount of Ribeiro Real by decree of March 23, 1882, and was later elevated to Count of the same title.

Dr. António Evaristo de Orneias was granted the grace of Baron of Orneias by decree of October 14, 1886 (volume III, page 20).

Of the title holders whose decree dates we have no knowledge of, we will mention the Count of Canavial (volume I, page 221), Viscount of Gonçalves de Freitas (volume II, page 92), Viscount of Casa Branca (General Alexadre César Mimoso), Viscount of Bianchi (Augusto César de Bianchi), Viscount of Vale Paraíso (João António Bianchi), Baron of Jardim do Mar (Tristão Vaz Teixeira de Bettencourt e Câmara), Baron of Uzel (Luís Augusto Ribeiro de Mendonça), and Baron of Nora (Frederico Teles de Meneses).

D. Álvaro da Costa de Sousa Macedo, governor and captain-general of this archipelago (volume II, page 276), was granted the title of Count of Madeira, and Domingos António de Sousa Coutinho was granted the title of Count and Marquis of Funchal (volume II, pages 56). The same family includes Agostinho de Sousa Coutinho, who also held the title of Marquis of Funchal and who twice held the position of civil governor of this district (volume II, page 56).