John Jacob was one of the first English consuls to the Order of St John in Malta. He petitioned the Grandmaster to increase the consular duty in Malta which, given English trade, must have been lucrative.

He is one of my maternal 8 x great-grandfathers.

He was the son of John Watts¹ and Lucrezia Barbara².

It’s not clear where he was born. Since his father was already England’s consul in Malta, it’s likely he was born on the island, which would imply Valletta. I’ve not found any evidence for this.

I also lack evidence of the date of his birth, but it’s likely to be early in the 17th century, given his date of marriage.

Family

On Thursday 16 June 1647³, John married Aloisea Camilleri⁴. They wed in the Roman Catholic Collegiate church of St Paul’s Shipwrecked⁵ in Valletta, Malta⁶.

As far as I can tell they had two children⁷:

• Giovanni
• Generosa, named after her aunt.

Notable events

Residence

I lack a clear address but given his work it would be resonable to conclude he lived close to the Grand Harbour, i.e., on the south side of Valletta.

Occupation

John was the Consul of England⁸ in Malta between 29 May 1645⁹ and 30 November 1660¹⁰.

Given the trade connections between England and the Order, John’s work would have focused on business, trade and similar issues¹¹. Historical records show England used its consuls in the Mediterranean as a source of information on troop movements as well¹². Malta was rarely an active theatre of war, but shipping information or gossip would have been valuable.

The English consulate was the second ever consulate established in Malta¹³. This means he would have been highly regarded in society.

Curiosities

On 17 November 1646¹⁴, soon after becoming consul, John Jacobs complained to the Grandmaster of the Order of St John about the consulage fee¹⁵. This fee was a duty paid by importers to cover consular activities. According to Watts all modern ports charged a Spanish doubloon to all English and Dutch vessels¹⁶. As of time of writing this is USD 800.00 approximately. In Malta, the charge was 2 scudi ¹⁷which, at the time of writing, was USD 40.00 approximately. He petitioned the Grandmaster to raise it, and this change came through a few days later¹⁸.

Death

I lack clear evidence of his death, but it is likely he died before 30 November 1660. On that date, his successor as consul took office¹⁹ and I cannot exclude John’s death as the reason why there was a new consul.

References

1. Said Vassallo, C. (2024). The Watts Family – Malta Genealogy. [online] Malta Genealogy. Available at: https://maltagenealogy.com/watts/ [Accessed 3 Jul. 2026].[↩]
2. Said Vassallo, C. (2024). The Watts Family – Malta Genealogy. [online] Malta Genealogy. Available at: https://maltagenealogy.com/watts/ [Accessed 3 Jul. 2026].[↩]
3. Velin, N. (2024b). Marriages in Malta – Digital Genealogy. [online] Digital Genealogy. Available at: https://en.geneanum.com/malta/databases/marriages.html [Accessed 31 May 2026b].[↩]
4. Velin, N. (2024b). Marriages in Malta – Digital Genealogy. [online] Digital Genealogy. Available at: https://en.geneanum.com/malta/databases/marriages.html [Accessed 31 May 2026b].[↩]
5. Velin, N. (2024b). Marriages in Malta – Digital Genealogy. [online] Digital Genealogy. Available at: https://en.geneanum.com/malta/databases/marriages.html [Accessed 31 May 2026b].[↩]
6. Velin, N. (2024b). Marriages in Malta – Digital Genealogy. [online] Digital Genealogy. Available at: https://en.geneanum.com/malta/databases/marriages.html [Accessed 31 May 2026b].[↩]
7. Said Vassallo, C. (2024). The Watts Family – Malta Genealogy. [online] Malta Genealogy. Available at: https://maltagenealogy.com/watts/ [Accessed 3 Jul. 2026].[↩]
8. Mallia-Milanes, Victor. “English Merchants’ Initial Contacts with Malta: A Study in Consular Relations.” University of Malta, OAR[↩]
9. Mallia-Milanes, Victor. “English Merchants’ Initial Contacts with Malta: A Study in Consular Relations.” University of Malta, OAR[↩]
10. Mallia-Milanes, Victor. “English Merchants’ Initial Contacts with Malta: A Study in Consular Relations.” University of Malta, OAR[↩]
11. Mallia-Milanes, Victor. “English Merchants’ Initial Contacts with Malta: A Study in Consular Relations.” University of Malta, OAR[↩]
12. Mallia-Milanes, Victor. “English Merchants’ Initial Contacts with Malta: A Study in Consular Relations.” University of Malta, OAR[↩]
13. Mallia-Milanes, Victor. “English Merchants’ Initial Contacts with Malta: A Study in Consular Relations.” University of Malta, OAR[↩]
14. Mallia-Milanes, Victor. “English Merchants’ Initial Contacts with Malta: A Study in Consular Relations.” University of Malta, OAR[↩]
15. Mallia-Milanes, Victor. “English Merchants’ Initial Contacts with Malta: A Study in Consular Relations.” University of Malta, OAR[↩]
16. Mallia-Milanes, Victor. “English Merchants’ Initial Contacts with Malta: A Study in Consular Relations.” University of Malta, OAR[↩]
17. Mallia-Milanes, Victor. “English Merchants’ Initial Contacts with Malta: A Study in Consular Relations.” University of Malta, OAR[↩]
18. Mallia-Milanes, Victor. “English Merchants’ Initial Contacts with Malta: A Study in Consular Relations.” University of Malta, OAR[↩]
19. Mallia-Milanes, Victor. “English Merchants’ Initial Contacts with Malta: A Study in Consular Relations.” University of Malta, OAR[↩]

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