Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1500s-1798 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
c. 86 linear meters
c. 600 Boxes
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
It was a mercantile tribunal of the country. It was composed of a judge and two consuls who were supposed to be well versed in mercantile affairs. In the case of appeals the parties could ask that a body of merchants be convened in the manner laid down in the Codice de Rohan.
Name of creator
Biographical history
Name of creator
Administrative history
Name of creator
Biographical history
Name of creator
Administrative history
Name of creator
Administrative history
Name of creator
Biographical history
Name of creator
Biographical history
Archival history
Transferred from St Elmo to NAM Central Archive in 1992.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Public Transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The Law Courts Miscellania is a fond containing loose documentation arising from the juridical activities of the various courts and tribunals operating in the Maltese islands during the Order of St John Period, from the arrival of the Order in Malta in 1530 to their departure in 1798. The cases heard before these courts provide valuable information about different aspects of general, commercial and military life in Malta. Most documentation in this collection is in Latin and Italian, but documentation in other languages such as Spanish, French, Arabic and Greek is occasionally included.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
The ongoing cataloguing process respects the arrangement of the records which was done in 1992 when the records were arranged and transferred to the National Archives of Malta, Central Archive (at Santo Spirito, Rabat). This decision was taken because multiple records from this fonds had already been consulted by researchers and referenced in publications. However, the records in each box have been separated by court or tribunal of origin and by year during cataloguing. All records have then been foliated in continuing sequence per box.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Accessible to the public
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
- Italian
- Latin
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
Mostly Humanistic, with Gothic elements for 16th century documents.
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Related to the collections at the National Archives of Malta, Courts and Tribunals Archive (Banca Giuratale, Mdina).
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
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Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
This description was prepared by Samuel Azzopardi on the 22nd of August 2024.
Revised on: 03/10/2024.