Twice-married, Guglielma lived in Valletta during the reign of the Knights, the French occupation, and the beginning of the British Empire’s influence over the islands.

She is one of my maternal 5 x great-grandmothers.

Guglielma was born on Thursday, 12th July 1742¹, in Valletta, Malta². She was the daughter of John Dodsworth³ and Aloisea Young⁴.

Her parents baptised her the next day in the Roman Catholic parish of St Paul Shipwrecked⁵ as Maria Philippa Guillelma Elisabeth Augustina⁶.

Family

On Thursday 29 October 1772⁷, she married Baldassare Saliba⁸ in Birkirkara, Malta⁹. Baldassare is noted in the Birkirkara marriage registry¹⁰ as “from Valletta, the widower of Teodora”¹¹. There is no indication of what Teodora’s maiden name was.

Since her father was dead by 1772, it’s possible she married out of necessity.

There is no evidence of the two having any children.

On Monday 27th February, 1786¹², she married Emanuele Farrugia¹³ in the Basilica of Our Lady of Safe Haven, Valletta¹⁴.

Together they had at least one son:

• Isidoro

Notable events

During the French occupation between 1798 – 1800, she was a French citizen.

Residence

She clearly lived in Valletta for a large part of her life, and it’s reasonable to conclude she continued living there till death.

Death

I know Guglielma was still alive in 1807, when her son married. Given her date of birth, she can’t have lived much longer than this.

References

1. Extract of Baptism of Guglielma Dodsworth. (1742). Liber Baptizatorum, [online] Volume VIX, p.6. Available at: https://www.maltaparisharchives.org [Accessed 17 Apr. 2026].[↩]
2. Extract of Baptism of Guglielma Dodsworth. (1742). Liber Baptizatorum, [online] Volume VIX, p.6. Available at: https://www.maltaparisharchives.org [Accessed 17 Apr. 2026].[↩]
3. Extract of Baptism of Guglielma Dodsworth. (1742). Liber Baptizatorum, [online] Volume VIX, p.6. Available at: https://www.maltaparisharchives.org [Accessed 17 Apr. 2026].[↩]
4. Extract of Baptism of Guglielma Dodsworth. (1742). Liber Baptizatorum, [online] Volume VIX, p.6. Available at: https://www.maltaparisharchives.org [Accessed 17 Apr. 2026].[↩]
5. Extract of Baptism of Guglielma Dodsworth. (1742). Liber Baptizatorum, [online] Volume VIX, p.6. Available at: https://www.maltaparisharchives.org [Accessed 17 Apr. 2026].[↩]
6. Extract of Baptism of Guglielma Dodsworth. (1742). Liber Baptizatorum, [online] Volume VIX, p.6. Available at: https://www.maltaparisharchives.org [Accessed 17 Apr. 2026].[↩]
7. Velin, N. (2024b). Marriages in Malta – Digital Genealogy. [online] Digital Genealogy. Available at: https://en.geneanum.com/malta/databases/marriages.html.[↩]
8. Velin, N. (2024b). Marriages in Malta – Digital Genealogy. [online] Digital Genealogy. Available at: https://en.geneanum.com/malta/databases/marriages.html.[↩]
9. Velin, N. (2024b). Marriages in Malta – Digital Genealogy. [online] Digital Genealogy. Available at: https://en.geneanum.com/malta/databases/marriages.html.[↩]
10. Velin, N. (2024b). Marriages in Malta – Digital Genealogy. [online] Digital Genealogy. Available at: https://en.geneanum.com/malta/databases/marriages.html.[↩]
11. Velin, N. (2024b). Marriages in Malta – Digital Genealogy. [online] Digital Genealogy. Available at: https://en.geneanum.com/malta/databases/marriages.html.[↩]
12. Extract of Marriage of Emanuele Farrugia and Guglielma Dodsworth . (1786). Liber Matrimoniorum, [online] Volume X (1780 – 1802), p.180. Available at: https://www.maltaparisharchives.org [Accessed 17 Apr. 2026].[↩]
13. Extract of Marriage of Emanuele Farrugia and Guglielma Dodsworth . (1786). Liber Matrimoniorum, [online] Volume X (1780 – 1802), p.180. Available at: https://www.maltaparisharchives.org [Accessed 17 Apr. 2026].[↩]
14. Extract of Marriage of Emanuele Farrugia and Guglielma Dodsworth . (1786). Liber Matrimoniorum, [online] Volume X (1780 – 1802), p.180. Available at: https://www.maltaparisharchives.org [Accessed 17 Apr. 2026].[↩]

Family Tree