The “Entail of the Month” initiative presents the Valongo Estate, located in Pinhel, where, between the villages of Sorval and Santa Eufémia, there runs a long valley, hence the name of Valongo. Here, in 1357, Sancho Martins and Maria Domingues established an entailment trust centred around a farm located in the middle of the valley. In the absence of descendants, the couple bequeathed a series of properties to “a collection for the health of our souls forever and ever”, donating them to Vicente Domingues, the Younger, brother of the foundress, so that he could commission a priest “to say twelve masses each year for our souls”. Furthermore, the founders specified that, on the death of the first administrator, the trust would pass to his eldest son and so on successively or, in the absence of children, to the nearest relative, always with the same pious charge “for our souls and of those whose are”.

In fact, the first administrator was followed, always from father to son, by Fernão Vasques (more probably Fernão Vicente), João Fernandes and João Matela; he was followed by his brother Pedro, father of the aforementioned Bartolomeu and António Matela. Thus, the latter became the 6th “morgado/steward” of Valongo. In this succession, João Fernandes married Branca Matela, from whom the descendants would take the surname which for centuries became distinctive of this family. This holds to such an extent that, on the one hand, various genealogical works define these Metelos as being “of Valongo” or “of Sorval”; and, conversely, the estate is sometimes designated as belonging “to the Metelos”.

The Valongo estate, enabling the concentration of assets, undoubtedly contributed to the consolidating the family’s upward trajectory. However, anthroponymy also played its part in this same sense: on the one hand, allowing the affirmation of the lineage’s individuality and antiquity; on the other hand, from the 16th century onwards, bestowing this surname with a new spelling (Metello or Metelo) that encapsulated the connection to the homonymous ancient Roman lineage. Equally relevant was the usage of a heraldic emblem evocative of the knightly sphere, evident in the gold chaps and spurs, figures respectively on this family’s shield and crest; as well as the ownership of a tower in Freixeda do Torrão (about 25 km north-east of the Valongo estate), dating from the 15th century, to which a manor house was later added, thus making the complete set known as the “Metelos manor-tower”.

To find out more details about this entail, go to this page with all the Entail of the Month information. Here, you may also find out about the other entails made available in the meantime, at: https://www.vinculum.fcsh.unl.pt/entail-of-the-month

You can also contribute to this initiative by making suggestions for future entails of the month and any details you may be able to provide. To this end, please contact the project at: vinculum@fcsh.unl.pt.

The VINCULUM project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and led by Maria de Lurdes Rosa, Professor of NOVA FCSH and researcher at the Institute of Medieval Studies, awarded the first ERC Consolidator Grant to a Portuguese researcher in the field of History.