Porto Salvo parishioners were 'mix of different people'

Abstract

An interesting aspect emerging from the birth certificates study, between 1870 and 1875, at Porto Salvo parish church is that all the details of the children being baptised were recorded, even in cases of unknown fathers or illegitimate children. From the five-year review, there were 58 such cases out of 2,432 births – 2.34 per cent of children born of an unknown father or out of wedlock; 54 had an unknown father, two were illegitimate and two were cases of adultery. Of these, only 15 girls were born in the parish of Porto Salvo. All other girls – 19 in all – came from other villages. The casals single mothers came from were Żurrieq, Naxxar, Senglea, Floriana, Qormi, Zejtun, Balzan, Cospicua, Tarxien, Birkirkara, Lija, Żabbar, Żebbuġ and Gozo.