Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla (or Saint Christopher, Nevis, and Anguilla) was a British colony in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Great ...

from 1882 to 1983, consisting of the islands of

Anguilla Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The territ ...

(until 1980),

Nevis Nevis is a small island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute one country: the Saint Kitts and Nevis, Federation ...

, and Saint Christopher (or Saint Kitts). From 1882 to 1951, and again from 1980, the colony was known simply as Saint Christopher and Nevis. Saint Christopher and Nevis gained independence in 1983 as the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, while Anguilla would remain a British overseas territory.

History

The islands of Saint Christopher and Nevis had been British colonies since the 17th century, though were always administered separately. A union of Saint Christopher and Nevis had been proposed as early as 1867, when Captain James George Mackenzie was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Saint Christopher with a mandate to seek an amalgamation of the administrations of the two islands. This proposal met with strong opposition, however, and was withdrawn the following year. In 1871, Saint Christopher and Nevis became presidencies within the

Federal Colony of the Leeward Islands The British Leeward Islands was a British colony from 1671 to 1958, consisting of the English (later British) overseas possessions in the Leeward Islands. It ceased to exist from 1816 to 1833, during which time it was split into two separate c ...

, with Anguilla being attached to Saint Christopher as a dependency in the same year. However, in 1882, the legislature of the Leeward Islands passed legislation merging the two presidencies, forming a combined Presidency of Saint Christopher and Nevis.Phillips, p. 129 In 1951, the name of the colony was changed to include Anguilla. The Leeward Islands Colony was disbanded in 1958, due to frequent tension between its members. From 1958 to 1962, Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla formed a province of the

West Indies Federation The West Indies Federation, also known as the West Indies, the Federation of the West Indies or the West Indian Federation, was a short-lived political union that existed from 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962. Various islands in the Caribbean tha ...

, electing two members to the House of Representatives and also having two senators, appointed by the

governor-general Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

. In 1967, the territory of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla was granted full internal autonomy, as an

Associated State An associated state is the minor partner in a formal, free relationship between a political territory (some dependent, most fully sovereign states) and a major party—usually a larger nation. The details of such free association are containe ...

of the United Kingdom. The UK retained responsibility for defence and external affairs, while a new judicial system was established, the West Indies Associated States Supreme Court (although the Privy Council remained the highest court of appeal). Later in 1967, Anguilla's leaders expelled the federation's police from the island, and declared its independence as the Republic of Anguilla. On 7 November 1970 commission led by

Hugh Wooding Sir Hugh Olliviere Beresford Wooding (14 January 1904 – 26 July 1974) was a lawyer and politician from Trinidad and Tobago. Legal career Hugh Wooding was born in Trinidad and Tobago into a family that hailed from Barbados. In 1914, he was ...

, former

Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago The Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago is the highest judge of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and presides over its Supreme Court of Judicature. He is appointed by a common decision of the president, the prime minister and the leader of the m ...

, published report which unanimously refused both the idea of independent Anguilla and the return of the status of British colony and recommend that the island should instead remain a part of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla.Milutin Tomanović (1971) ''Hronika međunarodnih događaja 1970'',

Institute of International Politics and Economics The Institute of International Politics and Economics ( sr-cyr, Институт за међународну политику и привреду) is one of the oldest research institutes in South Eastern Europe specialised in the field of inter ...

: Belgrade, p. 2461 (in

Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia an ...

) The report was welcomed by Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw while the Council of Anguilla rejected it. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister

Joseph Godber Joseph Bradshaw Godber, Baron Godber of Willington, (17 March 1914 – 25 August 1980) was a British Conservative Party politician and cabinet minister. Background Godber was educated at Bedford School, between 1922 and 1931, and became a nu ...

stated in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom that his government will analyze the report in light of discussions with all interested parties and that no decision unacceptable to people of Anguilla will be made. A series of interim agreements followed that resulted in direct rule of the island from Britain, although it was not formally separated until December 1980, when it was made a separate Crown colony. Nevis had also attempted to separate from the federation on several occasions, but the island's leaders were unsuccessful in their efforts. However, they did manage to secure greater autonomy for Nevis in the years leading up to independence, which occurred in September 1983 after a delay of several years to allow for negotiations. Sir

Frederick Albert Phillips Sir Frederick Albert Phillips CVO (14 May 1918 – 20 February 2011) was a Kittitian politician and jurist who served as the first black Governor of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla from February 27, 1967 to 1969. Career Prior to serving as gov ...

, the first governor of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, wrote in 2013:

Politics

List of administrators

From 1882 to 1958, the federation's administrator was under the wider jurisdiction of the Governor of the Leeward Islands. From 1958 to 1962, the administrator was responsible to the

Governor-General of the West Indies Federation The governor-general of the West Indies Federation was a post in the government of the West Indies. The federation, also known as the British Caribbean Federation, consisted of Antigua (with Barbuda), Barbados, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenad ...

. ;President * 1882–83: Alexander Wilson Moir * 1883–88:

Charles Monroe Eldridge Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

(acting to 1885) * 1888–89: Francis Spencer Wigley (acting) ;Commissioner * 1889–95: John Kemys Spencer-Churchill ;Administrator * 1895–99:

Thomas Risely Griffith Thomas Risely Griffith (born 1848, d. unknown) was a British colonial official. He served as Administrator of the Seychelles from 1889 to 1895. Colonial service Griffith was an official in British colonial service. He served in the Gambia, whe ...

* 1899–1904: Charles Thomas Cox * 1904–06: Sir Robert Bromley * 1906–16:

Thomas Laurence Roxburgh Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

* 1916–25:

John Alder Burdon Major Sir John Alder Burdon (23 August 1866 – 9 January 1933) was Governor-General of British Honduras (now Belize) from 1925 to 1932. He also wrote ''Brief Sketch of British Honduras, Past, Present and Future'' (1927). Born 23 August 1866 ...

* 1925–29: Thomas Reginald St. Johnston * 1929–31: Terence Charles Macnaghten * 1931–40:

Douglas Roy Stewart Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

* 1940–47:

James Dundas Harford Sir James Dundas Harford (7 January 1899 – 26 November 1993) was a British diplomat who served as Governor of Saint Helena from 1954 to 1958. Biography A direct descendant of John Scandrett Harford of Blaise Castle, he was educated at ...

* 1947–49:

Leslie Stuart Greening Leslie may refer to: * Leslie (name), a name and list of people with the given name or surname, including fictional characters Families * Clan Leslie, a Scottish clan with the motto "grip fast" * Leslie (Russian nobility), a Russian noble family ...

* 1949: Frederick Mitchell Noad * 1949–56:

Hugh Burrowes Hugh may refer to: * Hugh (given name) Noblemen and clergy French * Hugh the Great (died 956), Duke of the Franks * Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France under his father, Robert II * Hugh, Duke of Alsace (died 895), modern- ...

* 1956–66: Henry Anthony Camillo Howard * 1966–67: Sir

;Governor * 1967–69: Sir Frederick Albert Phillips * 1969–75: Sir Milton Pentonville Allen (acting to 1972) * 1975–81: Sir Probyn Ellsworth Inniss * 1981–83: Sir

Clement Athelston Arrindell Sir Clement Athelston Arrindell (19 April 1931 – 27 March 2011) was the first governor-general of Saint Kitts and Nevis, serving from 1983 to 1995, and also served as the country's final colonial governor, from 1981 to 1983. Arrindell was b ...

List of heads of government

;Chief Minister * 1960–66: Caleb Azariah Paul Southwell * 1966–67: Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw ;Premier * 1967–78: Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw * 1978–79: Caleb Azariah Paul Southwell * 1979–80: Sir

Lee Llewellyn Moore Sir Lee Llewellyn Moore (15 February 1939 – 6 May 2000) served as Premier of Saint Kitts and Nevis from 20 May 1979 to 21 February 1980. He was a member of the Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party. He graduated with an LLB from King's Colleg ...

* 1980–83: Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds

Sport and culture

The national football team debuted in 1938, in a friendly against Grenada, but played only sporadically. It has played more regularly since independence. In

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

, the

, and Saint Kitts national teams competed separately at regional level, although combined teams were occasionally fielded in the past. Delegations from Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla were sent to several editions of the CARIFTA Games, winning medals in 1977 and 1983. At the 1978 Commonwealth Games in

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anch ...

, Canada, the federation sent four competitors (two runners and two cyclists, all male), but failed to win a medal.Glenn Osborne competed in the 100 metres, running the slowest time in any of the seven heats, Ezzard Wilson competed in the 800 metres, and Vincent Benjamin and Cedric Maynard competing in various cycling events. "Medals won by St. Kitts & Nevis"
1978 Commonwealth Games
– The Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved 25 April 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla History of Anguilla Former countries in the Caribbean Former British colonies and protectorates in the Americas Former colonies in North America British Leeward Islands History of British Saint Christopher and Nevis British West Indies West Indies Federation States and territories established in 1882 States and territories disestablished in 1983 1880s establishments in the Caribbean 1882 establishments in the British Empire 1882 establishments in North America 1983 disestablishments in North America 1983 disestablishments in British Overseas Territories 20th-century disestablishments in the Caribbean