He descended from an Irish noble family that had fled to France in the 17th century due to religious persecution and which then passed to Portugal.

Invited by the Minister Martins Ferrão, then Minister of Justice, to come and lead one of the branches of his Ministry, he returned to Portugal, where he initiated his career as functionary which rapidly took him to Director-General of Justice, Honorary Director-General of Justice Affairs, Honorary Veador (Overseer) of Queen Maria Pia of Savoy and Preceptor of then Prince Dom Carlos and his brother the Infante Dom Afonso (Alvará of 23 October 1873, becoming integrated in the list of the residents of the Royal Household), with the title of Officer-Major of the Royal Household.

He was a very distinguished and literate person, who socialized with Alexandre Herculano, António Feliciano de Castilho and other worthies of the time, reached a position of a certain relief in Letters since he was a student, when he published poems in the Trovador, to which group he belonged.

He translated and adapted the Fables of Lessing and published Fabulário, In Memoriam, Feira da Ladra, and the Turra de Dois Caturras, all in out of the market editions.

His title of 1st Viscount of Santa Monica was conceded to him by decree dated 28 December 1876 of King Luís I of Portugal.