The Coat of Arms

In 1957, the Commissioner, Major Alan H. Donald put forward a proposal for a Coat of Arms for the Cayman Islands. The resolution for the Cayman Islands National ‘Arms’ was passed on 3 April 1957 by the local Legislative Assembly of Justices and Vestry. (See names below.)

On 11 April 1957, Government notice 33/57 was issued requesting all interested Caymanians who had ideas on the subject of the preparation of a Coat of Arms for the Cayman Islands to submit ideas with illustrations.

The Commissioner sought the help of the Reverend Arthur W Saunders to assist with the creation of our Coat of Arms. Reverend Saunders was an Englishman stationed in Jamaica with the Methodist Church in St Lucea. He was also a member of the Heraldry Society and was associated with the Coat of Arms for the proposed West Indies Federation. James Ford, formerly of the Yacht Club/Ports of Call (now The Wharf), submitted a design which assisted in the formation of the present Coat of Arms for the Cayman Islands.

On 5 February 1958, the Commissioner formally moved a motion to accept exhibit A as the desired design of the Cayman Islands Coat of Arms. The motion was seconded by Vestryman Alfred Lawrence Thompson, Sr. who was serving as a representative for Prospect.

The Royal Warrant signed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 14 May 1958 assigned these ‘Armorial Ensigns’.

The main elements of the Cayman Islands official Coat of Arms are a shield, a crested helm and the motto. A golden lion, representing Great Britain, is found at the top of the shield, on a red background. Three green stars, set in the shield, symbolise each of our three Islands. The stars rest on blue and white waves, which represent the Caribbean Sea. Above the shield is a green turtle (heralding Cayman’s seafaring history). It sits on a blue and white wreath which has come to symbolise the seafaring and thatch-rope industries. 

Behind the turtle is a pineapple, which is indicative of our historical ties to Jamaica. The Cayman Islands’ motto, He Hath Founded It Upon the Seas, is written on a scroll below the shield. This verse, Psalms 24:2, acknowledges Cayman’s Christian heritage, which is also constitutionally recognised.

The Cayman Islands flag features the British Union Jack in its upper left-hand corner, and the Cayman Islands Coat of Arms, encircled in a white disc, at the right-centre of the blue field. The maritime ensign is similar, but features a red field. Cayman-registered vessels should fly the red Cayman ensign internationally. Foreign vessels in Cayman waters should also fly this flag as a courtesy.

(Watch the video below to learn more.)

The 1956-58 Legislative Body

In 1957, the Commissioner Major Alan H. Donald put forward a proposal for a Coat of Arms for the Cayman Islands. This resolution for the
Cayman Islands National ‘Arms’ was passed on 3 April 1957 by the local Legislative Assembly of Justices and Vestry.

WEST BAY
Capt. Charles Ebanks Glidden
Thomas William Farrington, C.B.E.
Thomas Abram Ebanks
John Samuel Smith
Samuel Osbert Ebanks, Cert. Hon.
Lee Alfonzo Ebanks, M.B.E.

BODDEN TOWN
Richard Phillip Bodden
Thomas Logan Bodden

SAVANNAH
Emmis Mortimer Forbes

GEORGE TOWN
Capt. Rayal B. Bodden, M.B.E.
Edmond Samuel Parsons
Ernest Ottey Panton, M.B.E., I.S.O.
Thomas F. Hill, I.S.M.
Major Joseph Rodriguez Watler
Desmond Vere Watler, C.B.E., O.B.E.
James Ashford Panton
Otto Gordon Hurlston

EAST END
Austin Burns Conolly Cert. Hon.

NORTH SIDE
Bertram Ebanks, Cert. Hon.

SISTER ISLANDS
Edwin Walton
James Nathaniel Tibbetts
Ashton Shedden Rutty, M.B.E.
Waide Taylor Foster
John Cummins Lazzari, M.B.E., Cert. Hon.
Reginald Bloomfield Kirkconnell
Lawford George Lawrence
Dennis H. Foster, C.V.O., C.B.E., M.B.E.

WEST BAY
Spurgeon A. Ebanks, O.B.E.
James Cadian Ebanks
James Stafford Ebanks (Banks)
John Garston Smith
Capt. Owen M Farrington Cert. Hon.

BODDEN TOWN
William Benjamin McCoy
George H. Ricketts
Harold Stewart
Alfred Biddle Bodden
James Lobner Berry

GEORGE TOWN
Edgar Ducan Merren
Ormond Lauder Panton, O.B.E.
Hugh Malcolm Coe
William Wallace Bodden
Allen Berkley Bush, O.B.E.

EAST END
William Allen McLaughlin, M.B.E.
Norman Rudolph McLaughlin
Lincoln Bodden

NORTH SIDE
Kenneth Norman Chisholm
Olney Albury Ebanks

PROSPECT
Lawrence Thompson
Lindberg Eden
Carl Thompson

SISTER ISLANDS
Charles Gerald Kirkconnell
Keith Parker Tibbetts Sr., M.B.E.
Robert Clifton Foster
Arnold Athelin Foster