In the 11th century, Guterre Pelayo, said to have been born in Gascony, come from France with count Henry and became the Lord of Varzim. According to the Livro Velho de Linhagens, the ancient book of nobility compiled by 1270, he got from the count the port of Varzim amongst several other possessions. Guterre and his son, Payo Guterres, were decisive captains during the Reconquista. This grant is contested by the reputable Medievalist Almeida Fernandes who claimed that the grant is older, from 1033, and the fief was granted to another Guterre Pelayo, an ancestor of those, by Bermudo III, the Emperor in Gallaecia and reigning from São João de Rei, in Póvoa de Lanhoso, Portugal. Ancient sources also claimed that Guterre Pelayo was the third grandson of Fruela II of León.
