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1550
When He Served.
Lane, born to Sir Ralph Lane and Maud Parr Lane of Northampton, attended Oxford University in 1554 and served in the English Parliament in late 1550s and early 1560s. -
1563
Queen Elizabeth
By 1563 Lane was serving in Queen Elizabeth I’s court, marking the beginning of a career of service to queen and country. -
1569
Rebellion
Lane participated in a force that suppressed a rebellion in Scotland in 1569 where he gained accolades for his military skill. -
1570
Affairs
By the early 1570s, Lane had involved himself in maritime affairs which included a queen’s commission to seize ships in 1571. -
1580
Offers
By the late 1570s and early 1580s, he was developing plans and offering his services in helping England struggle with Spain. -
Ireland
In 1583, Lane received a commission to go to Ireland and direct the construction of forts. -
Recalled
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). -
Seven Ships
In April 1585, seven ships with about 600 men under the overall command of Sir Richard Grenville left England. -
Fleet
On June 18 or 19, 1586, a fleet led by Sir Francis Drake left Roanoke carrying the first English colonists back home. -
NewFoundLand
He provided the foreword to Thomas Hariot’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) -
Muster Master General
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. -
Unfit
By 1601 Lane’s physical weakness had made him unfit as muster master. -
Died
Lane died in Dublin, Ireland, in October 1603 and was buried at St. Patrick’s Church on the 28th of that month.