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| Kingdom of Redonda (Fantasy issue) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| It is uninhabited 1.3 km2 Caribbean island of Redonda, a dependency of the present-day sovereign state of Antigua and Barbuda. This small island lies between the islands of Nevis and Montserrat 56.2 kilometers (34.9 mi) southwest of Antigua. Redonda is closer to Montserrat than to any other island; it is located at 22.5 kilometers (14.0 mi) northwest of Montserrat, and 32 kilometers (20 mi) southeast of Nevis. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Christopher Columbus discovered Redonda in 1493 on his second journey. He claimed it for the Spanish crown, but did not land there. He named the island Santa María la Redonda, meaning Saint Mary the Round, reflecting the island's apparent profile when viewed from the side. In the 1860s, the island became a British possession. During the decades after the 1860s, the rich guano (phosphine oxide) deposits of Redonda were mined for fertilizer, with an annual yield of up to 7,000 tons. Only during this time was the island inhabited, by workers. The population was 120 in 1901. During the First World War, the mining operations ceased, and the workers left the island, which has remained uninhabited since then. Two stone huts still stand from the time when the island was occupied. Although the closest island to Redonda is Montserrat, and the second closest is Nevis, Redonda became a dependency of somewhat further away Antigua and Barbuda in 1967. Scientists from the Montserrat Volcano Observatory visit the island in a helicopter periodically; they are using Redonda as an observation point from which to take measurements of the Soufrière Hills active volcano on Montserrat. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Kingdom of Redonda is a micronation, the purported 19th Century origins of which are probably an invention of British fantasy fiction author M P Shiel (born Matthew Phipps Shiell, 21 July 1865 - 17 February 1947). It is named for its putative territory. According to popular legend, the kingdom came into being in 1865, when Montserrat trader Matthew Dowdy Shiell (18 September 1824 - 7 January 1888) purportedly sailed to Redonda, took formal possession of it, proclaimed himself its king, and then - satisfied that he had secured for his new-born son - Matthew Phipps Shiell - a legitimate claim to royal status, sailed away again. One version of the legend asserts that Shiell sought and gained acknowledgement of his self-proclaimed royal title from Queen Victoria - on condition that there would be 'no revolt against colonial power' - however there is no documentary evidence of this in British archives. The legend further asserts that in 1880, fifteen year-old Matthew Phipps Shiell succeeded to the Redondan throne as King Felipe I, when he was crowned in a ceremony conducted on the island by a visiting Antiguan bishop. The Anglican Bishop of Antigua in 1880 was William Walrond Jackson, however there is no reference to a coronation on Redonda in any of his writings. In fact, the first time the purported events surrounding the foundation of the Kingdom of Redonda were mentioned publicly was in a 1929 booklet advertising the reissue by Victor Gollancz of four of M P Shiel's novels. There is little evidence that Shiel took the Redonda tale seriously, and his biographer, Harold Billings, speculates that it may have been an intentional hoax foisted on the gullible press. King Felipe - British author M P Shiel, creator of the Redonda legend. On Sheil's death, writer and poet John Gawsworth (a pseudonym of Terence Ian Fytton Armstrong) (29 June 1912 - 23 September 1970) became both his literary executor and his appointed heir to the "kingdom", styling himself King Juan I. Gawsworth took the legend of Redonda to heart. He never lost an opportunity to further elaborate the tale and spread the story to the press. The Redondan Foundation website can be viewed at: http://www.redonda.org/. |
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| The set of Redonda dated 2009 fantasy coins includes four bi-metallic coins: two 10 Dollar coins, one picturing Christopher Columbus, the other a tropical fish, a 5 Dollar coin picturing the island and a 1 Dollar with a bird. The lower denominations, the 25 cents, 10 cents, 5 cents, 2 cents and 1 cent coins are struck in various metals and all having unique picture of birds. These coins are produced by a Chinese firm but the designer and authorized person is still unknown. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the World Wide Fund for Nature, also known as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), bi-metallic coin have been issued for Redonda by a firm in China in 2011. This bi-metallic 2 Dollar coin from Redonda features a Manatee one side. The arms of the Kingdom of Redonda and the Panda logo of the WWF are on the other side. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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