Archives
ARCHIVES OF THE ORDER OF ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM, OF RHODES
AND OF MALTA
| The Archives of
the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of
Malta (A.O.M.) consist of the documents produced and
received by the Chancery of the Order since its origins
until the end of its rule in Malta. After having suffered
a series of transfers from one repository to another,
the almost 7,000 volumes found an abode at the National
Library of Malta only in 1937 and have since remained
there. These archives contain
the title-deeds, privileges, correspondence and other documents
concerning the central authority of the Order, i.e. the
Grand Master and his Council, and the Chapter General,
with the
Priories, the Commanderies and individual knights. |
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The
official Archives of the Order in Malta came to an abrupt
halt with
the end of the Order's rule in Malta in 1798. The post-1798
documents are conserved at Magistral Archives in the Grand
Magistry in Rome.
 Catalogues
TREASURY MANUSCRIPTS
A separate archival group made up of the records of the
Treasury of the Order of Malta (Treas.) consists of 513
volumes divided into two series. These constitute the financial
records formerly preserved in the Government Treasury.
The 'Treasury A' section is a miscellanea of documents
produced both by the Order of St. John and by the Università dei
Giurati of Mdina. 'Treasury B' documents consist of registers,
journals of income and expenditure, libri esigenziali,
and cabrei of several foundations.
Catalogues
ARCHIVES
OF THE UNIVERSITÀ (Municipal Administration
of the town and island of Malta)
Another archival group which is of particular interest
to Maltese social historians consists of 658 volumes of
documents pertaining to the medieval Università dei
Giurati of Mdina and Valletta. These are referred
to as Univ. documents. The rich documentation found in
these archives sheds light on the powers and activities
of the Consiglio Popolare and of the Maltese Giurati as
from the time of the Aragonese rule in Malta until 1818,
when the Consiglio Popolare was suppressed by
the British. The earliest records date from the fourteenth
century.
The archives of the Università embody
most of what is known about municipal government in Malta
and privileges and customs of the Maltese in past centuries.
The documents record feudal concessions, privileges granted,
minutes and activities of the town council between 1450
and 1818, e.g. the running of Santo Spirito hospital and
cumoli di carità (charitable foundations).
Other aspects of Maltese life
are reflected in these documents, including employment of
staff and expenses relating to the maintenance of fortifications,
the importation and sale of wheat, transfers of immovable
property and the issuing of licences to hawkers and tradesmen.
Catalogues |
