Jorge Alarcão, who reproduced an exact plan of the property, cited the Romans as the original founders, but there were few vestiges to support the theory. Reference to the castle first appears in 1283, from letters of sale between the Infanta D. Leonor Afonso, daughter of King D.
Afonso III, discovered by her descendants Pero Anes and D. João Peres Aboim. There were indications that a tower had existed near the site of the castle. In the 14th century
cartulary of the Sé Cathedral of Évora, the primitive tower or castle already existed before the construct of the structure known as the
Castelo Velho, located on the opposite bank of
Ribeira da Valongo on the margins of Alcorovisca. It was Roman mansion along the road. Between the 15th and 16th century, the keep tower was repaired and included pointed tiled roofs, staircase brick and bay windows. In the 19th century, the castle was acquired from the Marquesses of Valada, by their current property-owners. The cracks and faults in the fortifications were cleaned and repaired in 1989, while the fractures were consolidated and reconstructed. In November 2004, a map of the sites risk of deterioration and report was elaborated by the DGEMN
Direcção Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (
Directorate General for Buildings and National Monuments). ==Architecture==