Another version is that “Rui Barba was a Christian who begat Edward Brampton out of wedlock with the wife of a Jew.”[4] Later Portuguese genealogy records indicate that his father could have been Fernão Rodrigues Alardo, the main alcaide of Leiria and Óbidos.
Born in about 1440 in the Jewish community in Lisbon, Portugal, his mother's name was Mariana and his father was a blacksmith,[5] Duarte emigrated to England during the late 1450s.
Brampton was an adventurer, soldier, and ship's commander, who fought in several engagements during the War of the Roses, including the Battle of Tewkesbury, and was eventually awarded the position of Governor of Guernsey.
With the help of his wife Lady Margaret Brampton, he won favours in both the Portuguese and English royal courts and was knighted in August 1484 by Richard III.
In the novel The Family, by Mario Puzo, Duarte Brandão is depicted as an escapee from England who becomes the personal advisor of Pope Alexander VI (Borgia), a mortal opponent of Savonarola.