Ralph Lane Colony

English Parliament

1550

Lane served in the English Parliament in late 1550s and early 1560s.

Oxford University

1554

Lane attended Oxford University in 1554.

Queen Elizabeth

1563

By 1563 Lane was serving in Queen Elizabeth I’s court, marking the beginning of a career of service to queen and country.

Rebellion

1569

Lane participated in a force that suppressed a rebellion in Scotland in 1569 where he gained accolades for his military skill.

Maritime Affairs

1571

By the early 1570s, Lane had involved himself in maritime affairs which included a queen’s commission to seize ships in 1571.

Developing plans

1580

By the late 1570s and early 1580s, he was developing plans and offering his services in helping England struggle with Spain.

Ireland

1583

In 1583, Lane received a commission to go to Ireland and direct the construction of forts.

Sail to Virginia

1585

In 1585 the queen recalled Lane from Ireland and he was given command of the colony that Sir Walter Raleigh was organizing to sail to Virginia (Roanoke Island).

Left England

1585

In April 1585, seven ships with about 600 men under the overall command of Sir Richard Grenville left England.

Leaving Roanoke

1586

On June 18 or 19, 1586, a fleet led by Sir Francis Drake left Roanoke carrying the first English colonists back home.

New Found Land

1589

He provided the foreword to Thomas Harriot’s Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia (1588) and his account of the colony appeared in Richard Hakluyt’s Principal Navigations (1589).

Back in Ireland

1592

Lane was back in Ireland in 1592 serving as “muster master general” and “clerk of the check of the garrison” and remained in that country for the rest of his life.

Weakness

1601

By 1601 Lane’s physical weakness had made him unfit as muster master.

Death

1603

Lane died in Dublin, Ireland, in October 1603 and was buried at St. Patrick’s Church on the 28th of that month.