Barons di San Paolino

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The Barony of San Paolino is a Maltese Noble family and was originally a Sicilian title created in 1683 to Matteo de Ribera. The current holder of the title is Dr John Attard Montalto; 11th Baron of San Paolino. The heir to the title is his second cousin Paul Attard Montalto known as Baroncino di San Paolino

It is rare by European standards, but not by Maltese, that what might be quite distant relatives are allowed to place "di Baroni" between their forenames and their surname. The full surname of the line is "Attard Montalto de Ribera", which has come about first from the conference of the title on Matteo de Ribera by the President and Captain-General of Sicily in the name and by the authority of King Philip IV of Spain, III of Sicily on the 16th of July, 1638 with remainder to his descendants. When an heir died without issue, it passed to Chev. Alberto Montalto who took up the "de Riberia" part of the surname. Chev. Alberto Montalto de Ribera then married an heiress of the Maltese Barony di Benwarrad, and their eldest son Paolo succeeded to both Baronies (Benwarrad and San Paolino) and took up the surname of both his father and mother, becoming: Attard Montalto de Riberia. The line then descended from here, though the change in the Italian Law in 1926, meant that the two titles were split, and so Maria Angela was to succeed in the Maltese Barony of Benwarrad, and her cousin to the Sicilian Title of San Paolino.

[edit] References:

• Montalto, J., "The Nobles of Malta-1530-1800", Midsea Books Ltd, Malta, 1980.
• Cassar Desain, Marchese L.A., " Genealogia della famiglia Testaferrata di Malta." Malta, 1880.
• Gauci,C.A.," The Genealogy and Heraldry of the Noble Families of Malta", Gulf Publishing Ltd, Malta, 1981.
• Gauci,C.A.," The Genealogy and Heraldry of the Noble Families of Malta, Volume Two", Publishers Enterprises Group (PEG) Ltd, 1992.
• Gauci,C.A and Mallet, P.,"The Palaeologos Family- A Genealogical Review" ,Publishers Enterprises Group (PEG) Ltd, 1985
• Gauci, C.A.," A Guide to the Maltese Nobility", Publishers Enterprise Group (PEG) Ltd, Malta, 1986.
• Giles Ash, S., "The Nobility of Malta", Publishers Enterprises Group (PEG) Ltd, 1988.