In the Beginning
The island of Gibraltar presented employment opportunities to Maltese workers in the second half of the 19th century in response to economic downturns in Malta. It was a particularly well-suited destination for Maltese emigrants with commonalities including the Royal Navy dockyards on both islands, British subjects under British administration, working for and with Royal Navy personnel, the English language that workers likely had some familiarity with and the Roman Catholic religion. The skills were transferable between the dockyards and passage between the islands would have been easily available. Francesco Baldacchino arrived in Gibraltar in about 1860 with his wife Maria Carmela Galea and their seven children, soon followed by five more children (see Family Trees page). Another three Baldacchinos and their families arrived in Gibraltar before the end of the century. The surname in Gibraltar today is most commonly seen as Baldachino with one ‘c’, locally thought to have arisen from a clerical error early on but perhaps just as influenced by the English form of the church-related word, ‘baldachin’.
Migration
By the latter 1800s, there were about 1,000 Maltese settlers in Gibraltar, many working in the dockyards or in support of the dockyards. Much of this community lived near the base of the Rock amongst winding roads along with steep steps offering more direct routes to their homes that overlooked Gibraltar city centre and the dockyards. Many Maltese returned to Malta as naval works slowed with an estimated Maltese population of about 700 by 1912 but the Baldachino families remained. According to evacuation lists at the start of World War II, many Baldachinos still lived in the same area of Gibraltar.
The Surname Today
Forebears.io estimates that 57 Baldachinos and Baldacchinos presently reside in Gibraltar. We had a delightful visit to Gibraltar recently and, although much of our time was spent in the Gibraltar National Archives, we had the opportunity to hike through the historic area of Baldachino settlement where homes can still be found and some Baldachinos remain today. We even had the opportunity to meet a particular Baldachino of note, Joseph Louis Baldachino (see Notables page).
