History of the surname Mattos

According to great genealogists such as Visconde de Sanches de Baena, Portuguese genealogist, in his work "Archivo Heráldico-Genealógico", the Mattos family took the surname of Mattos Farmhouse, in the parish of São Cibram, in the Lamego County.

This farm was founded by Paio Viegas, whose son, Hermígio Paes de Mattos, was the first to have this surname.

They were entitled to the coat of arms in Portugal, duly registered in the Book of Torre do Tombo, page 23.

Family of the oldest in Portugal, as he descended from the kings of the Kingdom of León, by Hermigo Alboazar, lord of the castle of Távora and his wife, Dórdia Osores,

whose son Egas Hermigues was. This Egas, great-grandson by King Ramiro II of the Kingdom of León, married Gontinha Eris, daughter of Ero, count of Lugo and one of the greatest lords of his time. For his great value, Egas Hermigues was called “Bravo”.

He founded the monastery of Freixo, with his wife, of which he had Paio Viegas, inherited from the council of Argos, Lamego county, where he made Mattos Farmhouse, in which he lived. From her marriage, Hermigo Paes de Mattos was born, successor of the paternal house and first of the surname, who took over the farm whose landlord had. He was also lord of the Amaral and Cardoso farms and very devoted to the monastery of Santa Cruz, Coimbra, so the canons of Santo Agostinho gave him a letter from his relative, in order to be able to obtain the indulgences granted by the Popes to family members of the order. In the book of deaths of the same monastery, << familiaris Sanctae Crucis >> refers to his death, which occurred on the ninth of November.

He had several children from his marriage, two of whom were, respectively, the parents of the Amarais and the Cardosos, as they were the landlords of the Amaral and Cardoso estates, from which they took their surnames.

The eldest son, Payo Hermigues de Mattos, succeeded at the landlord of Mattos Farmhousd and Rousais, lived in the time of kings Sancho II and Afonso III, was the lord of the Neomais couple, bringing the mentioned estates for honor, as you can see from the inquiries, in which he is called Miles and had many estates, bought from Martim Anes, João Moniz, João Gonçalves and Pedro Feio, located in Ruivães, Vila Boa, and in Vila de Santa Maria. From his marriage, there was a generation that propagated the surname Mattos.