Last year, on holiday on the Mediterranean island of Malta, I had the privilege of visiting the National Archives in Rabat. Three of us from Ottawa, courtesy of a connection through Canada’s former Librarian and Archivist, Ian Wilson, were given a conducted tour. They laid out some particularly significant documents.
Along the way, it was mentioned that they had an agreement with Ancestry to publish some of their records. I’ve been waiting for them to appear.
On Tuesday, Ancestry released Malta Heraldry, 1500-2000 (in Italian) with 11,029 records. When I tried the link from the catalogue, I got the message “We’re sorry, this page is no longer available”, which, from past experience, means the data is being uploaded.
Although the island is small, Ottawa is nine times larger; they have similar populations. The Malta Archives, housed in a former hospital known as Santo Spirito, is over 650 years old, with records of its operation dating back to at least 1372.
The Archives holdings may be searched through https://www.archivesportaleurope.net/
I went to Malta a few years ago, ‘coz a chum lived there. She was a former US Air Force Officer, and then a frequent contributor to genealogy mags and histories. She could live there as her husband had Maltese citizenship through his mother. We had a terrific time and they took us all over the island, seeing great places and history. Cheers, BT
I would love to visit Malta one day and definitely would want to see the archives. So much history to explore!