Heritage Malta
Two parts plus appendices, concerning the Maltese nobility and the future of heraldry in Malta
- 172 pages
- 12 plates
- 53 other illustrations
This book is a two-part analytic commentary by Dr Charles A. Gauci, Chief Herald of Arms of Malta, an office established under the Cultural Heritage Act for the specific purpose of addressing an erstwhile-unregulated tradition.
The first part, of the book, consists of six sections and includes over 260 footnotes. Here the Chief Herald addresses the arduous task of debunking several long-standing misconceptions concerning Malta’s past nobility. These misconceptions have influenced the composition of local coats of arms as well as their purported “inheritance”. This task was deemed necessary so as to ensure the future correct use of heraldry in Malta.
The second part, gives a short history of heraldry in Malta. It outlines the principal features of a coat of arms and the local authority's general applications of basic heraldic concepts and norms to a Maltese context. Due sensitivity is given to the laws of the land and to the major historical shifts which have seen the Maltese islands transition from fief to colony to independent monarchy and finally to sovereign republic. In this way, the Chief Herald has planted the seeds for order in a hitherto unregulated tradition.
The Way Forward will be launched on February 26, at Fort St Elmo, National War Museum, Valletta.This part contains two appendices where one finds some very useful references for researchers on Maltese heraldry. Some of these sources are freely available in the public domain.
Finally, a specific legal appendix is also provided. This details the legislative basis for the formal establishment of the Office of the Chief Herald of Arms of Malta, namely the 2021 amendment to the Culture Heritage Act (Cap 445) which, in turn, enabled the publication of the Heraldry and Genealogy Regulations, 2021. These passed into law in January 2022.
The Way Forward book is the local authorities' reference manual for an orderly system of Maltese heraldry. It is a must-have for anyone interested in Maltese history, the former nobility and heraldry in general.