The arms of Mello

The arms of Mello come from the arms of Riba de Vizela and they are: of red, a double cross or bend cross of gold, accompanied with six silver bezants; bordure of gold.
Crest: an extended eagle of black, silver bezanty.

This surname and the family that adopted the surname is the most remote and noble in origin.

The lineage of D.Soeiro Raimundes de Riba de Vizela, founder of the village of Merlo - or «Melro» -, (contemporary of the kings D.Afonso III and D.Dinis) that was the lord of the house «de Riba de Vizela» and of «de Maia».

Going to the South, he founded the town of Merlo, later Mello, belonging to the Lord, as well as the town of Gouveia.

Upon his marriage with D.Urraca Viegas Barroso, daughter of D.Egas Gomes Barroso and his wife, D.Urraca Vasques de Ambia, they had children which all would receive the surname "de Mello".

(Dictionary of the Portuguese Families [pg. 248], D.Luiz de Lancastre and Távora, 2nd Edition, Lisbon)

Armas dos Mello

As armas dos Mello derivam das dos Riba de Vizela e são: de vermelho, uma cruz dupla ou dobre cruz de ouro, acompanhada de seis besantes de prata; bordadura de ouro.
Timbre: uma águia estendida de negro, besantada de prata.

Deriva este nome de uma alcunha e a família que o adoptou por apelido é da mais remota e nobre ascendência.

Deriva ela, com efeito, de D.Soeiro Raimundes de Riba de Vizela, o Merlo - ou «melro» -, (contemporâneo dos reis D.Afonso III e D. Dinis) que era o chefe de linhagem dos «de Riba de Vizela» e, por esta via, da dos «da Maia».

Vindo para o Sul, fundou na Beira a vila de Merlo, depois Mello, sendo dela senhor, bem como de Gouveia.

Do seu casamento com D.Urraca Viegas Barrosa, filha de D.Egas Gomes Barroso e de sua mulher D.Urraca Vasques de Ambia, teve descendência na qual se fixaria o nome "de Mello".

(Dicionário das Famílias Portuguesas [pg. 248], D.Luiz de Lancastre e Távora, Quetzal Editores, 2ª Edição, Lisboa)

The history of Álvares Pereira de Mello

A branch of the house of Bragança, descendents of D.Álvaro, Lord of Tentúgal, Póvoa, Buarcos and Cadaval, the 4^th son of D.Fernando I, 2^nd duke of Bragança.

Despite being a natural son of D.João I, 10^th King of Portugal, D.Afonso I, 1^st duke of Bragança didn't use the families surname as it was the following practice for the Royal House and the same happened with his children.

The children of D.Álvaro, that was married with D.Filipa de Mello, daughter of D.Rodrido Alfonso de Mello, 1^st count of Olivença, started to use their mother's surname (de Mello).

They later changed their surname to Álvares Pereira de Mello in memory of the constable D.Nuno Álvares Pereira de Mello, 3^rd count of Tentúgal, their ancestor and trunk of the House of Bragança starting out with the 1^st duke of Cadaval (1638-1727).

This royal family still maintains today, but will be interrupted in this generation because the current duke of Cadaval, D.Jaime, and his uncle D.António, marquis of Cadaval, only had feminine descent.

The arms of Álvares Pereira de Mello

The arms of "Álvares Pereira de Mello" come from the Arms of the house of Bragança and they are: of silver, with a saltire-cross of red, with five shields of the arms of the Kingdom of Portugal, four on each side of the cross and one in the middle.
Crest: a horse "sainte" and "enfreado" of gold, bridled in red, the reins of gold, with three bleeding wounds on the neck.

(Annual of the nobility of Portugal-2 vols. Manuel de Mello Corrêa, Portuguese Institute of Heraldry, 1st Edition Lisbon, 1985)

A história dos Álvares Pereira de Mello

Ramo da casa de Bragança descendente do senhor D.Álvaro, senhor de Tentúgal, Póvoa, Buarcos e Cadaval, quarto filho do 2º duque de Bragança, D.Fernando.

Apesar de filho natural do rei D. João I, o 1º duque de Bragança, D.Afonso, não usou apelido de família como era a prática seguida pela Casa Real e o mesmo aconteceu com seus filhos.

Os filhos do senhor D.Álvaro, que casou com a herdeira do 1º conde de Olivença, D.Filipa de Mello, passaram a usar o apelido de sua mãe (de Mello).

Mais tarde, em memória do condestável D.Nuno Álvares Pereira de Mello, 3º conde de Tentúgal, seu antepassado e tronco da Casa de Bragança, acrescentram o seu apelido, que a partir do 1º duque de Cadaval (1638-1727) se fixou em Álvares Pereira de Mello.

A família mantem ainda hoje a varonia real, que será interrompida nesta geração uma vez que o actual duque de Cadaval, D.Jaime, e seu tio D.António, marquês de Cadaval, deixaram apenas descendência feminina.

Armas dos Álvares Pereira de Mello

As da casa de Bragança: de prata, aspa de vermelho carregada de cinco escudetes de Portugal-antigo, alternados com qautro cruzes florenciadas e vasias do primeiro esmalte.
Timbre: um cavalo sainte e enfreado de ouro, bridado de vernmelho, as rédeas de ouro, ferido de três lançadas no pescoço, vertendo sangue.

(Anuário da Nobreza de Portugal-2 vols. Direcção de Manuel de Mello Corrêa Instituto Português de Heráldica, 1ª Edição Lisboa, 1985)

The arms of Bragança

Of silver, with a saltire-cross of red, with five shields of the arms of the kingdom of Portugal, with a black thread put upon each bar.
Crest: A neck and head of a red horse, bridled of gold.

Armas dos "Bragança"

De prata, com uma aspa de vermelho, carregada de cinco escudetes das armas do reino, com um filete de negro sobreposto em barra.
Timbre: Um pescoço e cabeça de cavalo de vermelho, bridado de ouro.

Historiography

The de Mello coat of arms illustrated left was drawn by a heraldic artist from information officially recorded in ancient heraldic archives. Documentation for the de Mello coat of arms design can be found in Rietstap Armorial General. Heraldic artists of old developed their own unique language to describe an individual coat of arms. In their language, the arms (shield) is as follows:

"D´or a deux fasces de gu., acc. de neuf merlettes du meme, rangees en orle."

When translated the arms description is:

"Gold: two red middle thirds between nine young birds, red also, 4, 2 and 3."

Family mottos are believed to have originated as battle cries in medieval times. A motto was not recorded with the de Mello aoat of arms.

Individual surnames originated for the purpose of more specific identification. The four primary sources for second names were: occupation, location, father´s name and personal characteristics. The surname de Mello appears to be patronymical in origin, and is believed to be associated with the Italian´s meaning, "descendant of Giacomelli".

I addition to needing an extra name for identification, one occupational group found it necessary to go a step further. The fighting man: The fighting man of the middle Ages wore a metal suit of armor for protection. Since this suit of armor included a helmet that completely covered the head, a knight in full battle dress was unrecognizable. To prevent friend from attacking friend during the heat of battle, it became necessary for each knight to somehow identify himself. Many knights accomplished this by painting colorful patterns on their battle shields. These patterns were also woven into cloth surcoats, which were worn over a suit of armor. Thus was born the term, "coat of arms".

(taken from © Halberts, 3687 Ira Road - Bath, Ohio 44210)

The Martlet

The martlet is a small bird, usually depicted without feet and (in some cases) without beak.

There is some dispute as to what kind of bird it is. In English heraldry, it is a swallow; in French heraldry, it looks very much like a duckling. In German heraldry, it is said to be a lark. It was originally a small blackbird, and then became a generic small bird, then a bird without feet and even later without beak, the species of the bird interpreted variously depending on the country.

According to Pastoureau: Traité d´Héraldique (2d ed., p. 150-1), the charge makes its first appearance c. 1185 in the arms of Mello in the Normandy, and is at first confined to similarly canting arms (Merlot, Merloz, etc). Therefore, it is initially thought of as a small blackbird, called merle in French. From the mid 14^th c., however, it appears as a canting device for families named Oisery, Oisy, Loiseau, which indicates that it is now seen as a generic bird rather than any specific species. Its depiction is still quite variable (with or without feet), and in any case it does not lose its beak before the late 15^th c.. As the Oxford English Dictionary says (s.v. martlet): "It seems possible that the heraldic bird may originally have been intended for a ´little blackbird´, represented without feet by accident or caprice, or with symbolical intention". Most likely, the need to save space led artists to skip the feet of the small birds that were often used as filler or bordure elements (the orle of martlets is common in early heraldry); Also, in the late 15^th c., some confusion or competition arises with the canette or duckling, and modern French heraldic textbooks state that a martlet is a duckling without beak and feet.

(taken from © François Velde)

The History of Mello (French origin)

The Mello family name originated in Ile-de-France, located in France. The Mello family traces their ancestral roots back to French origin.