David Arrigo looks at cameos of potted history with deeply-rooted Malta connections through the extraordinary lives of the Malta-born Bell brothers.
When Malta became a Crown colony in 1814, early British colonialists left their mark by founding businesses, some of which are still operating today.
Charlotte Bell née Williams, Captain John Bell s second wife.
John Bell, captain of the brigantine called The Sisters, was firstly married to Suzanna Williams in 1812, then to her sister, Charlotte, in 1925. Their daughter, Susan Mary, was born in Bristol and, after coming to Malta, John Thomas and Thomas William Bell were born in 1815 and 1819.
The three children were educated at the Missionary School in Sliema, known as the ‘Institution’. Here, they learnt French, Arabic and Maltese, the knowledge of which took them away from the island ‒ the boys were employed as interpreters to Maltese workmen engaged on overseas missions.