Brampton (Brandon, Brandão), Sir Edward
BRAMPTON (Brandon, Brandão), SIR EDWARD
BRAMPTON (Brandon, Brandão), SIR EDWARD (c. 1440–1508), Anglo-Portuguese adventurer. Although his father was a Jewish blacksmith Brampton claimed to be the illegitimate son of a Christian nobleman. He was baptized in England c. 1468, taking the name of his godfather, King Edward iv. Subsequently he received various military and naval commands and was rewarded with mercantile privileges and grants of land; in 1482 he became governor of the island of Guernsey and was knighted in 1484. Having been of service to Alfonso v of Portugal during the latter's exile in France, Brampton later returned to Portugal and was made a member of the Royal Council. His knowledge of the English court enabled him to assist Perkin Warbeck in his bid for the English throne as the alleged son of Edward iv. Brampton's family gained prominence in Portugal but suffered discrimination because of its Jewish origin, which it tried ineffectively to conceal.
bibliography:
Roth, in: jhset, 9 (1922), 143–62; 16 (1952), 121–7; idem, Anglo-Jewish History (1962), 68–85; Marques de Sampayo, in: Anais da Academia Portuguêsa de História, 6 (1955), 143–65; E.F. Jacob, Fifteenth Century (19612), 592–4. add. bibliography: odnb online.
[Cecil Roth]