Students visit Notarial Archives

Students of St Michael School were recently treated to a special preview of the Notarial Archives where they viewed a range of manuscripts reflective of Maltese history. The students were intrigued by the appearance and contents of these manuscripts, some of which are highly decorated, and asked many questions about these documents and the Archives in general.

The Notarial Archives are housed in an 18th century building at St Christopher Street, Valletta. The vast collection contained in this building, numbering more than 15,000 volumes, is spread over several rooms of the four floors comprising the archives.

The volumes are actually the registers of notaries working in Malta from 1467 till recent times. They contain a mass of information, some of it as yet untapped, which gives an important insight into the history of Malta and its people over six centuries.

These archives are currently being rehabilitated and will be opened to researchers with new, more convenient facilities in the near future.

This visit, held with the kind permission of the Chief Notary to Government, formed part of the Notarial Archives Resources Council's campaign to create more awareness regarding these archives and to encourage young students to appreciate the primary sources of our history.