History of Anguilla

The history of Anguilla runs from the beginning of human habitation, probably via settlement from South America, through its colonization by the English in the early modern period, to the present day.

The effort to settle Crab Island was led by Abraham Howell, and saw a handful of Anguillians partake, however, the settlers were eventually forcibly evicted by Spanish forces.

[6] In 1744, during the War of the Austrian Succession, 300 Anguillians and 2 privateers from St. Christopher invaded the French half of neighboring Saint Martin, holding it until the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.

[1] On 27 November 1796,[7] amid the Napoleonic Wars, the French warships Décius and Vaillante landed 400 Frenchmen at Rendezvous Bay under Victor Hugues.

The frigate HMS Lapwing, sailing from St. Christopher under Captain Barton,[6] was able to defeat the French ships and the assault again ended in failure.

[1] Attempts were made to develop Anguilla into a plantation-based economy employing enslaved Africans, but the island's soil and climate were unfavourable and the plantations were largely unsuccessful.

While the plantation owners returned to Europe, the freedmen continued to eke out livings on Anguilla as subsistence farmers and fishermen.

[1] In the 19th century, the large lake in the center of the island was exploited for salt exported to the United States; around 3,000,000 bushels were produced each year.

[10] In 1871, Anguilla was forced into a federation with St Kitts; the next year, the islands petitioned the British colonial office to permit separate and direct rule.

[11] By that time, charcoal production had essentially deforested the entire island, but the expanded pastureland permitted export of cattle to Saint Thomas.

[1] On 27 February 1967 (57 years ago) (1967-02-27), Britain granted the territory of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla the status of "associated state", with its own constitution and a considerable degree of self-government.

Many Anguillans strenuously objected to the continuing political subservience to Saint Kitts, and on 30 May 1967 (known as "Anguilla Day"), the Kittian police were evicted from the island.

[13][14] In December, two members of Britain's Parliament worked out an interim agreement by which for one year a British official would exercise basic administrative authority along with the Anguilla Council.

[1] On 19 March 1969, a contingent of 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, and 40 Metropolitan Police officers peacefully landed on the island, ostensibly to "restore order".

[1] While Saint Kitts and Nevis went on to gain full independence from Britain in 1983, Anguilla still remains a British overseas territory.