Sarcophagus of acting governor of Malta being rebuilt through BOV’s support

A sarcophagus, built on the grave of Colonel Henry Anderson Morshead’s tomb, is being rebuilt from scratch following painstaking research by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna through Bank of Valletta’s support.
Morshead was colonel commandant of the Royal Engineers and acting lieutenant governor in Malta when he died on November 11, 1831. He was given a public funeral and was buried at the Saluting Battery of the Upper Barracca Gardens in the fashion established by the British after their establishment in Malta in 1800 – where important public figures were buried on promontories on Valletta’s fortifications.
A fine classical Greek sarcophagus was built on his grave by his wife. The work was conducted by Maltese sculptors using local stone. The monuments survived until 1960 when, for some unknown reason, the upper part was removed, leaving only its lower tier and stepped platform. The part removed has been lost.

With the purpose of restoring what remains from this monument and to reconstruct its missing part, Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna researched the history of the tomb and also the life of the person for whom it was erected.

With this in mind, a full-scale architectural maquette, a plaster...