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Sir Walter Raleigh
Queen Elizabeth I allowed Walter Raleigh to take up a charter in his own name. Raleigh's mission was "to discover and inhabit strange lands." He decided to send a small exploratory expedition to study and report on the best place for a colony to be located. He wanted a warmer climate than Canada and Newfoundland. -
Success in NC
The relationship between the English and Natives continued to grow. When the English left Roanoke, two Native Americans--Manteo and Wanchese--agreed to return to England with them. Queen Elizabeth I was delighted with the findings in the New World. She knighted Walter Raleigh in recognition of his role in the effort to settle North America. The new land north of Florida was named Virginia in honor of Elizabeth I, "The Virgin Queen". -
Amadas and Barlowe
Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe were selected by Sir Walter Raleigh to be captains of a two-ship fleet that sailed from Plymouth to the New World. -
North Carolina
Amadas and Barlowe landed near Cape Lookout making them the first people of English descent to set foot of what is now North Carolina. The expedition moved up the coast to find Roanoke Island. They claimed this land for Queen Elizabeth I. Two days passed before any native people appeared to the English. Although timid at first, they soon welcomed the strangers. They traded pearls and furs for English trinkets and offered the settlers food and shelter. -
Second Attempt
A group of 107 men gathered together to set off towards Roanoke Island. They left from Plymouth, England and started their journey led by Ralph Lane. Unfortunately, as the fleet was arriving in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, their ship ran aground on a sandbar. This caused a lot of damage to the precious supplies on board. Much of the gear was spoiled by seawater or lost at sea as a result of this incident. -
Roanoke Island
Landing on the northern end of Roanoke Island, the colonists quickly constructed a fort, which they named Fort Raleigh. Ralph Lane took over the colony as governor. Soon after, Grenville returned to England to seek food and supplies. He left only one tiny ship for Lane's use in exploring the area but not returning to England. Since food and supplies would not last through the winter, Grenville agreed to return as soon as possible with more. -
While Grenville is Gone...
The colonists quickly began to explore, map and paint pictures of the region. Three expeditions set out to explore the area. One of the groups explored Chesapeake Bay in search of suitable deepwater ports from which to capture Spanish ships. A second group explored the area on and around Roanoke Island. A third expedition, led by Lane himself, traveled to the mainland west of Roanoke Island, which Lane declared "to bee the goodliest soile under the cope of Heaven". -
While Grenville is Gone...pt 2
Colonists with special skills began to carry out their individual assignments. Thomas Harriot gathered information from the Native Americans and recorded his own observations. John White painted a great many watercolor pictures of plants and wildlife, including birds, fish and insects. Some of White's pictures showed details of Native American life--different ways of catching fish, cooking, dressing, weaponry, and boats. This information would interest people in England. -
Trouble in Roanoke
As winter approached, Grenville's ships had not returned, and food was running out. One reason was that the colonists had not arrived early enough to plant crops. In addition, the poor growing season that year left the Natives with little or nothing to share. The colonists also experienced problems with leadership. On the journey from England, Lane and Grenville had disagreed on many things. After Grenville returned to England, many of the colonists were unhappy with Lane's leadership. -
Lane's Leadership
As the colonists faced serious food shortages, Lane became more and more aggressive toward the Natives. He began to demand food from them and to steal from their villages. He even took an Indian chief's son hostage. When the Natives responded by hiding both themselves and their food stores from him, Lane became convinced that they were deliberately trying to starve the colonists. Lane led at attack on the Natives and many were killed and the chief was beheaded. This worsened their relations. -
Abandoning the Colony
Sir Francis Drake arrived unexpectedly in 1856 to visit the colony. They colonists quickly abandoned their colony and returned to England with Drake. The colony had come to an end after only 10 months.
