Chef De Brigade - Brigadier
The younger son of Pasquale Sceberras Testaferrata* and Lucrezia Dorell, and brother to Fabrizio*, the first Maltese cardinal, General Michele*, and Camillo, an ardent Francophile*.
Between 1779 and 1781 Paolo and his brother Camillo attended the Archiepiscopal Seminary. Through the influence of his brother Michele, in 1793 became chamberlains to the King of Bavaria.
General Vaubois originally proposed Mario Testaferrata Castelletti, one of the signatories of the capitulation of Malta as Chef de Brigade of the National Guard. However on 4 July 1798, the commission of government rejected his proposal, preferring instead Paolo Sceberras Testaferrata. Upon being appointed, Paolo resigned his place on the municipality of Mdina, Rabat and Dingli. Paolo Sceberras Testaferrata, suspected by the French of being a sympathizer of the insurrection, was imprisoned for five months and then allowed to leave the city for the courtyard where he joined the rebels. In December 1799, he was appointed treasurer of the Università by Captain Alexander Ball in a letter, which reassured him that ‘...the public has now retracted the erroneous impression that you were a French sympathizer’.
When on 3 March 1812 Baron Pasquale Sceberras Testaferrata died, only Paolo of all his children was in Malta. When the will and codicil were read Paolo was furious. He threatened his mother with court proceedings since he maintained that his father was not totally in his right senses and so did not have full testamentary capacity when he stipulated the codicil in his will. Lucrezia was rather displeased and irritated at having to face court proceedings.
However, when Paolo’s uncle, Gian Francesco Dorell, who was childless, died in 1812, he named Paolo Sceberras Testaferrata as his testamentary executor and universal heir.
When his brother Camillo returned to Malta, Paolo had to face Camillo’s continual harrassment over the alleged irregularities in the inventories which had been compiled under Paolo’s and Michele’s directions. Paolo held the property archives of their father which contained personal papers, books and legal writs. Paolo was a very wealthy perso and lived on a substantial yearly income from property.
He resided in Valletta all through his life. Like many people who live on an income from landed property, Paolo was often in Court, especially over matters of non-payment of rents or damage to property by his tenants.
Paolo married Maria Angelica Perdicomati Bologna, 4th Countess of Catena on 17 June 1791. His wife died on 2 February 1821 and he himself died eleven years later on 4 October 1832. Both are buried in the Church of od Our Lady of Jesus in Valletta.
Maria Angelica and Paolo had seven children: Gaetana, Lucrezia and Francesca remained spinsters, while Maria, Nicola, Aloisia and Maria Theresa got married. His only son, Nicola married Maria Antonia Montalto de Ribera.
This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.