U nderneath the calm or blistering sea
You find a part of life, forgotten and unsold
What hidden gems lie peacefully?
A graveyard and a treasure trove, the history lies untold
So powerful the drive, for generations grabbed
Treasures taken, traded, sold
History salvaged and passed out

Hon. Hubert Hughes

What’s left to tell our children
For them to dive and find?
The past will always be but history is forgot

Some things we leave behind
A choice it’s ours to make
Forgetting with our kind,
We choose to stand and tell
The trees we fell and boats we build
The ships we sail with natural skill

Today we live and celebrate
Our passion with the wind
Our history is our past,
not for others but ourselves
Our past, our heritage
Our dream to find and hold
A treasure for this people forever ours to share

Your ancestors’ character traits were not that different from your own. They included independence, opportunism, and self-sufficiency. These skills have been revealed time and time again. They were played out during the Revolution and are part of this island’s character which attracts people to visit over and over again. In 1772, when the Buen Consejo and Prusiano wrecked off Anguilla, Anguillians took advantage of the Spaniards’ misjudgement and just as modern Anguillians salvaged the wrecksite when it was rediscovered, your ancestors did the same. Generations of school children and adults remember recovering and buying small artefacts. School children bought medallions recovered by local fishermen and this activity is also part of Anguilla’s history, before archaeology became recognized for the national treasure it is, today. Lead recovered from historic wrecks and reused in fishing vessels has a use and purpose today. For years, anchors and cannons have been used as mooring anchors and ballast for fishing boats. Recovered artefacts are prominently displayed in people’s homes, shops, and in gardens. The sum of all this activity is a maritime tradition built on the memory and experiences of the past, reused and exploited as opportunities allowed, and as natural to Anguillians as the sea itself.
What would Anguilla be like without this history? Preserving part of what is natural to Anguilla preserves part of what it is to be Anguillian. As someone new to Anguilla, it is easy to see how something so natural can be overlooked. As an archaeologist and visitor, I recognize that this resource is part of a unique culture that can be sustainably developed and shared to promote the island and enrich the lives of everyone who lives here.

About the author: Lillian Azevedo is a PhD candidate in Maritime Archaeology at the University of Southampton who is working with the Anguilla Archaeological and Historical Society. She is recording the island’s Underwater Cultural Heritage for her thesis and researching ways that maritime heritage can benefit Anguillians now and in the future.

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