Posts Tagged ‘Catholic Church’

  • A MATTER OF FATE

    For British diplomat John Hookham Frere, January became a month of sorrows….

    Villa Frere Gardens - Fiona Vella (1)Some say that bad luck isn’t real and that there is no such thing as luck. Yet others would strongly avoid walking under a ladder or crossing the street in the presence of a black cat. They will certainly not open an umbrella indoors or drink any water that reflects moonlight, in the fear of attracting misfortune. Still, there are those who insist that whether you see it as lucky or unlucky, the chance event is the same. But is it?

    John Hookham Frere, a British diplomat, poet, scholar and philanthropist, is not known to have spoken of bad luck. However, when years went by and he started to suffer the loss of his loved ones all during the same month, he lamented that January was becoming too melancholic for him.

    Rumours say that his mother Jane, daughter of John Hookham (senior) who was a rich London merchant, had brought an astrologer’s silver cup as part of her marriage dowry. This cup originally belonged to her great uncle, John Dee, who was believed to be a conjurer. Legend said that he had used the cup to make some supernatural experiments but she insisted that this was not true. In defiance, she used the cup as a sugar bason.

    EJBCuriously, the ‘January calamity’ had already struck the woman that Frere would eventually marry – Elizabeth Jemima Blake. A portrait painted by Sir Martin Shee shows her as a very beautiful girl with large dark eyes and masses of dark hair. In January 1790, she married George, sixteenth Earl of Erroll, who committed suicide in June 1798 after he confided an official secret to a friend who then published the communication and its author.

    The childless and beautiful widow met Frere in the year 1800 when she was recommended to stay in Lisbon to alleviate her mourning sorrows. At the time, Lisbon was a favourite health resort and Frere, who had just been appointed Envoy to the Court of Lisbon, was requested by a common friend to take care of her. Soon, the two became very good friends and along the years, they kept in contact through letters. Eventually, they got married on the 12th September 1816.

    Lady Erroll never regained her health completely and this was a constant source of anxiety to her husband. A severe cold which she got while visiting the new rooms that were built at the British Museum for the Elgin marbles, wrought permanent damage to her constitution. A serious illness in 1820 obliged Frere to take her abroad and although she recovered some strength while travelling in the Mediterranean, it was clear that she would not survive the cold English climate.

    John-Hookham-Frere-painting-799x1024Since Frere preferred to live among English subjects, he chose to move to Malta. His sister Susanna, who had never married and who offered to help him to take care of his wife, joined them too. Initially, they resided in Casa Correa, a palatial building in Old Bakery Street, Valletta. Later on, they moved to Pietá, where they acquired two adjoined buildings, so that Susanna could live close by. This house on the waterfront helped Elizabeth to recover to better health and Frere began to show interest in the Maltese Islands which were so rich in history.

    Frere was very proficient in languages, namely Greek, Latin, Italian, French and Spanish. In Malta, he extended his knowledge in the Maltese and Hebraic languages. His ample library filled with prestigious and rare books became renowned with scholars, some of whom came to visit from abroad. At this time, he met Mikiel Anton Vassalli, a Maltese writer, linguist and philosopher.

    Vassalli was expelled from Malta a number of times due to his political beliefs. His troubled life led to much difficulties and Frere helped to alleviate some of his problems. He financed the education of his three sons, supported him to publish his books and helped him to start teaching at the University of Malta as the first Professor of Maltese language. Frere’s remarkable kindness persisted even after Vassalli’s death, on 12th January 1829, when he took the responsibility of his burial in the then Protestant cemetery of the Msida Bastion, after the Catholic Church refused to do so due to his alliance with the Protestants.

    Almost two years later, Frere had to return to these burial grounds again, this time to bury his wife when she passed away on 17th January 1831. His wife’s loss overwhelmed him with grief but he refused to return to England even though his relatives and friends advised him to do so. Eventually, he decided to acquire the steep hill behind his house in Pietá, turning the landscape into a set of lovely fertile terraces that were embellished with refined temples. From these peaceful gardens, he could look out at the cemetery where his beloved was resting.

    Villa Frere Gardens - Fiona Vella (22)Yet the ominous month was set to claim another victim, this time his sister Susanna who died on the 18th January 1839, eight years and a day following the demise of his wife.

    In some letters which Frere wrote to his relatives and friends, he expressed his regret that the penalty of a long life was to see all those whom he had loved wither away and die. While his earlier years had been dedicated to political writing and literary satires, he passed the last years of his life composing epitaphs.

    Instead of bringing an elation of joy at the beginning of a new year, January became acutely associated with death and Frere simply hated it. Who could have told him that this month would ultimately also claim his life – on 7th January 1846.

    Currently, Heritage Malta holds the title for the iconic gardens of Villa Frere in Pietá. In February 2019, Heritage Malta and the NGO Friends of Villa Frere, signed a partnership and management agreement for the promotion, public availability, and the running and operation of the historical site.

    The gardens of Villa Frere are opened for the public once a month or by appointment for groups. For further information, contact the NGO Friends of Villa Frere on Facebook or by email on villafrere@gmail.com

    (This feature was published in the SENIOR TIMES – JANUARY issued with the Times of Malta dated 24 January 2020)

    2020.01.24 / no responses / Category: Times of Malta

  • A sea of profits

    A search through historical notarial deeds reveals how Maltese businesses exploited the cruel reality of war and slavery, maritime historian Dr Joan Abela tells Fiona Vella.

     

    joan abela“Even though there are people who might think that the human tragedy which we are experiencing today in the Mediterranean Sea may be something contemporary, in reality, the human element has always been an issue in this region,” Dr Joan Abela says as she refers me to some thick manuscripts that she had set aside at the Notarial Archives in Valletta.

    We had agreed to discuss the dreadful reality of slavery in the old days and these manuscripts are witness to this phenomenon which took place even in our islands.

    “Before the Knights of St John came to Malta in 1530, the Maltese Islands were already involved in the enslavement business and this was quite a legitimate affair at the time. People captured as slaves or captives were considered as commodities and their negotiations were regarded as valuable transactions, which when necessary, were also recorded in notarial deeds.”

    Dr Abela continued to inform me that in that era, the traffic of slaves occupied a prime place in the economic activity of maritime trade in the southern Mediterranean since it allowed the profitable exchange of monies and commodities.

    “Well aware of the strategic geographical location of Malta in the slave trade business, the Knights of St John established a strong infrastructure in order to attract more merchants and agents. Those who stopped at our islands would have been able to replenish their ships and to make use of the excellent and accomodating financial services which included the availability of notaries, agents, and money changers. Indeed, Braudel stated that Malta together with Livorno acted as a central hub for the slave trade.”

    One needed to have a special license to work as a corsair, otherwise he would be regarded as a pirate and could be hanged for capturing ships, cargo or people illegally.

    a sea of profits 1b“Since corsairing could render ample returns, people invested in it and received their respective shares from the bounty that the corsairs brought with them after they seized a ship. Investors consisted mainly of businessmen and knights. However, one would also find the Jerosolimitan Nuns of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John which were located in St Ursula Street, Valletta, forming part of these investors. Their share was due to them for their role in praying for the safe return of the corsairs.”

    As Dr Abela began to indicate various episodes from the displayed manuscripts, she admitted that she was often very touched by what she read in those pages.

    “Obviously when one looks at history in a collective manner, one would say that there was this particular circumstance taking place during that period and that is it. Yet when one looks into these documents and starts reading a deed about an individual life, one starts empathizing with that person and many questions will come to mind. For example, I came upon a deed wherein a priest was selling a slave together with her son to a Genovese merchant on condition that the latter would baptise the child on that same day. The merchant agreed and the deal was made. When you read something like this, how can you help not wonder who this woman was and from where she had come?”

    Corsairing was a high risk job but if all went well, those involved could become rich overnight.

    “Men craved for the opportunity to become corsairs and at one point, there were so many men leaving their jobs to join corsair ships that the Maltese Universitas requested the King of Spain to restrain this because the island was at a loss with the local workforce.”

    “Not all the captured ships delivered the same profits. A galley of the Sultan which would have been filled with riches and fine cloth, would be precious but not without issues and trouble. Other ships would be carrying worthy cargo such as sugar or wheat. Nonetheless, it was the human cargo which was considered the most profitable.”

    Captured people could be sold as slaves or held as captives until they were ransomed.

    “The whole process for redemption was very complicated. These contracts unravel all this system including how the involved parties went about to assure the best positive outcome from their deal. An agent would be requested to act as an intermediary between one party and the other, taking responsibility to collect a deposit from the captive and then to take him to an agreed destination in order to collect the rest of the money from his relatives and then release him.”

    “In April 1558, a slave, Busert Bin Hahmet de Casar concluded the following agreement with his master Giuseppe Baldagno. Busert was transferred to Antonio de Banda from Messina who was a patrone of a ship belonging to Marco Antonio Delixandro, also from Messina. The ship was equipped to undertake a voyage to the Tripolitan fortress of Barbaria. Antonio was to conduct the slave to Tripoli, and from there retrieve 80 gold ducats which was the stipulated price for redemption. This amount was to be remitted either in their value in dinars or in oil, wool or leather goods which the Arabs sold inside the Tripolitan fortress, which goods would be exempt from duty. Busert promised to pay Giuseppe within twenty days of his arrival at the fortress, on condition that the patrone was not to let him disembark unless he received the said payment or its value in goods. Once arrived at destination, the slave would need to make the necessary connection with an intermediary in his own country who would be in a position to acquire the redemption money or goods for him. Once the sum was settled, the slave would become a free man, but if the sum was not paid, he was to return with the same ship and consigned back to his master Giuseppe.”

    a sea of profits 2bAt times, the Grand Master had to issue a safe conduct certificate to enemy ships so that they might transfer the captives to the Tripoli port.

    “One such case was when Turgut Reis captured the ship Catharinet and took all her load to Djerba in 1548. Following this unfortunate capture for the Christian side, the Knight Augustino Spagno was sent as an envoy to negotiate redemption of the captives and once prices were fixed, a Muslim ship carrying these captives was to sail to the Order’s port in Tripoli.”

    Interestingly, although being amid a Holy War against each other, this flourishing trade saw the collaboration and interaction between Christian and Muslim merchants.

    “The capture of slaves did not only translate itself into financial rewards but acted also as a means to strengthen commercial ties between the various ethnic subjects of the cross and the crescent. Both Muslim and Christian merchants exploited this cruel reality and at times, this exploitation was so excessive that appeals were made to the local authorities to annul what plaintiffs described as usurious agreements which desperate souls had been forced to endorse in return for their freedom.”

    “The Catholic Church strongly prohibited any compensation on loans, whether being related to business or not. Interest was regarded as usury and was not allowed. Often, this situation created shortages of cash money, especially after the Jewish community was expelled from the Maltese Islands in 1492. Nevertheless, there were numerous ways of circumventing this prohibition, such as through the difference quoted in the rate of exchange which would incorporate an agreed rate of interest or by paying the value in other goods.”

    Besides ransom agents, there were also those agents who were summoned in order to make arrangements for the purchase of slaves to be delivered to Malta. Gender, age, ethnicity and price were agreed beforehand to eliminate any possible claims for additional payment.

    “Although prices of slaves varied considerably, various studies indicate that the average selling price for a slave during the sixtenth century was in the region of 46 scudi. The acquisition of infidel slaves from Tripoli as a commodity for re-sale was one of the most profitable economic activities through which Malta registered a boom in her commerce.”

    The arrival of Napoleon in 1798 abolished slavery in Malta and yet from litigation cases found in the Tribunal proceedings, during the early British Period, it is clear that the island’s association with slavery would not be terminated by a simple legislative enactment.

    “And yet, back in the eighteenth century, people had already realized that the raiding system was over and that it was not feasible anymore. A new system based on lawful commerce and trade began to emerge; the Pinto stores being evidence of such change.”

    (This article was published in the Family Business Supplement issued with The Times of Malta dated 24 February 2017)

    2017.02.26 / no responses / Category: Times of Malta