Anguilla became a colony of the
Kingdom of England in 1650, when settlers from
Saint Kitts moved to the island. A legislative union between the two islands was later established in 1825, despite vehement opposition from Anguillan freeholders over the arrangement of having Saint Kitts pass laws for both areas. Anguillans appealed to the British government in 1872 calling for an end to the union and
direct rule, but this was disregarded. A decade later, a federal act resulted in the amalgamation of Saint Kitts,
Nevis, and Anguilla under the
British Leeward Islands federation. from 1967 to 1969. In 1956 the Leeward Islands federation was dissolved. Two years later a unitary political entity called the
West Indies Federation was created; Saint Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla joined the federation upon its creation. However, this was once more against the will of the Anguillan people. They consequently expelled the Saint Kitts police, seceded from the union, and declared the
Republic of Anguilla. British rule was soon restored and the Anguilla Act 1971 placed the island under direct rule from London. Nine years later, Anguilla was accorded its own constitution and its union with Saint Kitts and Nevis officially ended. The territory's constitution was amended in 1990, In the run-up to the fiftieth anniversary of the Anguillian Revolution in 2017, a proposal was drawn up to augment the coat of arms with a
crest and two
supporters, along with the territory's motto. The design was submitted for approval in March of that year, with the
College of Arms overseeing its technical aspects. A crest and supporters were formally granted by
Elizabeth II on 30 January 2020. ==Design==