The Staggering Hook in Valletta

Words by Terrence Mifsud

An enormous iron hook adhered to the wall is located a few feet from the top of St. John Street’s corner in Valletta. Installed there during the reign of the Knights of Malta, the hook is followed by a steam of mystery that encompasses the city of Valletta

Words by James Cummings

There are several legends that attempt to solve the mysteries revolving around the hook. According to one legend, it was a component of the machinery used in the 1740s to hoist a 6.25-ton bell onto the steeple of the adjacent church.

This adjacent church is now the co-cathedral. Other theories suggest that it was used for hoisting and holding into position a pillory from which guilty convicts were exposed to public punishments in 1760. The saintless podium served as a means of public humiliation. The people who had been given a public humiliation sentence were held in this structure, known as Castellania, and were hurled rotten fruit or mud at them while they were there. In some instances, the corpse of a criminal was shown in public in the pillory.

According to other versions, the hook might have been employed to carry out a sort of torture. The victim’s arms were tied behind their backs with a rope that was threaded through a hook, and they were suspended from the wrist. This frequently resulted in their shoulders dislocating, causing excruciating discomfort.

The confounding hook was once referred to as ‘Nelson’s hook’. Nelson and many of his officers had to walk along St. John Street to go back to their ship in the harbour after attending a dinner party in Valletta in 1803. When Nelson arrived at the street’s peak, some of his officers dared him to try to slip through. Nelson was indeed successful. The hook was then a reference point and a ‘test’ for midshipmen joining the Royal Navy. They were instructed to emulate Nelson and crawl through the hook if they wanted to proceed with their position.

Interestingly, the hook was removed for unknown reasons in 1899 but made its way back to Valletta shortly after due to disapproval from the general public.

Ultimately, the staggering hook is a piece of metal in Valletta, embodying tremendous (yet quite obscure) history.

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