![Malta - Floriana - Triq Sarria - The Mall 26 ies](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Malta_-_Floriana_-_Triq_Sarria_-_The_Mall_26_ies.jpg)
Sir Adrian "Adriano" Dingli (8 October 1817 – 25 November 1900) was
Chief Justice of Malta.
Life
He was born in
Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 wa ...
, the son of Sir Paolo Dingli, a lawyer who became President of the Court of Appeal.
[Maltese Commemorative Coins - The Central Bank of Malta](_blank)
He studied at the Bishop's Seminary at
Mdina and read Law at
Malta University, obtaining a doctorate in law in 1836 aged 19. He furthered his knowledge of languages and law in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
,
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...
,
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...
,
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
,
Sorbonne
Sorbonne may refer to:
* Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities.
*the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970)
*one of its components or linked institution, ...
and in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and then practised as an advocate.
Following the granting to Malta of the Constitution of 1849 Sir Adrian was one of the eight Maltese members elected to the Council of Government to represent the people. He was elected to represent the people of
Gozo. In 1852 he established the
Malta Militia. He was appointed
Crown Advocate
Crown advocate is a title used in some former British colonies (and until recently in Britain) for a government prosecutor. In former British Colonies and certain British extraterritorial courts the title is (or was) used by the senior government ...
(1854) and in this capacity he effected the consolidation of the Civil Laws. He was also the Governor's consultant and the Government's administrator. He promoted the enlargement of the
Grand Harbour
The Grand Harbour ( mt, il-Port il-Kbir; it, Porto Grande), also known as the Port of Valletta, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks ( Malta Dockyard), wharves, a ...
and the building of the Market and the Royal Theatre in Valletta and the Lunatic Asylum in H’Attard.
In 1862 he went to
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...
to negotiate an
extradition treaty
Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdic ...
with
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. During his time as Crown Advocate he laid down juridical doctrine, particularly in the sphere of civil law, by drafting and promulgating in 1868 and 1873 Malta’s Civil Laws in codified form. In 1880 he was elevated to the highest judicial office in Malta by being appointed President of the Court of Appeal, with the title of Chief Justice which had been abolished forty years earlier. He represented both the local and the Imperial Government on missions abroad on several occasions, including
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
where the Cypriots requested that he be appointed Civil High Commissioner. He became the de facto Governor of Malta. In all these activities, and on the frequent occasions when his advice was sought by the Government, his patriotic spirit and deep sense of social welfare were evident.
Dingli was married twice; firstly to Catherine Mamo-Mompalao (died 1857), and secondly to Amy Mildred Charlton.
Sir Adrian Dingli died on 25 November 1900, aged 83. A monument bearing his bronze bust by
Antonio Sciortino
Antonio Sciortino ( Ħaż-Żebbuġ; 25 January 1879 – 10 August 1947) was a Maltese artist, considered Malta’s foremost sculptor of the twentieth century. His career unfolded almost entirely in Rome, where he resided from 1900 till 1936.Sand ...
was erected in the Mall,
Floriana
Floriana ( mt, Il-Furjana or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana ...
, and unveiled by
King Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...
in 1907.
Various streets, squares and schools around Malta carry Adrian Dingli's name, and in 2003 the
Central Bank of Malta issued a commemorative coin depicting a portrait of Sir Adrian, the third in its Distinguished Maltese Personalities Series.
Honours
He was awarded the following honours :
* Companion of the
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...
(CB, 1859)
* Knight Commander of the
Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG, 1860)
* Knight Grand Cross of the
Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG, 1868)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dingli, Adrian
1817 births
1900 deaths
Chief justices of Malta
Companions of the Order of the Bath
Heidelberg University alumni
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
19th-century Maltese judges
Maltese knights
People from Valletta
University of Bologna alumni
University of Paris alumni
Crown Colony of Malta judges
Maltese expatriates in Italy
Maltese expatriates in France