Qrendi Ancestry & Historical Records:
The 1813-1814 Plague Mortality Register

The 1813 Outbreak and the Evolution of Burial Protocols

The return of the contagion to Malta in the early nineteenth century encountered a highly structured, aggressive public health apparatus overseen by the British military government under Governor Sir Thomas Maitland. Unlike the decentralized village lockdowns of previous centuries, the 1813–1814 plague epidemic saw the enforcement of systematic sanitization protocols, rigid municipal boundaries, and strict mandates regarding the cataloging and prompt burial of the deceased. Though devastating across the island, Qrendi managed to navigate this outbreak with localized resistance and careful community management.

The 1813–1814 mortality register preserved below serves as an insightful case study for historical researchers. In contrast to historical records from past epidemics, this ledger specifically tracks the location of each individual's burial—offering clear proof of how health procedures shifted as the virus spread. While a considerable number of victims were laid to rest inside the Qrendi Parish Church grounds following ancestral traditions, the high-intensity months saw multiple entries redirected toward outside fields or regional public plots, including deep-trench burials in Valletta and nearby Tarxien.

Interactive Qrendi 1813-1814 Burial Logs

Use the column headers—Date of Burial, First Name, Surname, Age, or Cemetery—to dynamically sort the dataset below.