Ir-Reġistru tal-Imwiet fil-Parroċċa Arċipretali Matriċi taż-Żebbuġ Għawdex
by Horatio C. R.Vella. Available from Gozo Press.
Mewt u Xita Alla Jaf Meta (Death and rain are only known to God). So goes one of our oldest proverbs related to the issue of death, and it was precisely the death register of one of Gozo’s oldest parishes that inspired classical scholar Prof. Horatio Caesar Roger Vella to write one of his latest monographs.
Ir-Reġistru tal-Imwiet fil-Parroċċa Arċipretali Matriċi taż-Żebbuġ can be considered as a sequel to Prof. Vella’s publication entitled Żebbuġ of Gozo, in as much as it throws more light on dozens of parishioners who were born, lived and died in the locality that is situated on the highest inhabited plateau of the island.
In the preface to his work, Prof. Vella states clearly the reason why he chose to focus on the death register rather than the baptismal one or the one for weddings. He explains that the death registers throw important light on the people listed in their entries. Among other things, they mention the age of the deceased, the manner of death and where they were entombed.
Prof. Vella states that in this monograph, he does not deal with all the entries; he chose to write only about those individuals whose death was peculiar. He provides biographical detail about the people who died in circumstances that attract more than the usual attention.
Together with these he includes the death of priests, notaries, lawyers, doctors, wet-nurses and other titled people. It was the duty of the respective parish priest to include important details in the entries of these distinguished citizens. Prof. Vella also includes benefactors of the parish church or the community at large.
The death registers throw important light on the people listed in their entries
Another subject that is dear to the book’s author is that of genealogy. At the end of the book, 57 genealogical tables, commonly referred to as family trees, show how various parishioners were related to each other. Appendix 5 provides detailed descriptions of the various tombs found in the parish cemetery. The other appendices also provide ample detail about particular areas of interest.
The book ends with two indexes; one for the deceased and another one for other items deemed important by the author. The book abounds with photos of various personalities and places.
The book is of interest to all those who want to know more about Gozo’s ecclesiastical history from the late 17th century to the present day, with particular attention to the parish and locality of Żebbuġ, one of the most picturesque villages on the island of Gozo.