Roanoke - England's attempt at an American colony
In 1584, Queen Elizabeth I gave Walter Raleigh a charter, allowing him to form a colony in America. Raleigh and Elizabeth hoped that the colony would bring England wealth and act as a base for disrupting Spanish treasure ships.
Establishing the colony
Raleigh didn't go to America himself but he sent two English explorers, Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe, to find a suitable site for a colony. They arrived on Roanoke Island in July 1584 and met the The Algonquian peoples are indigenous communities in North America. They have lived in areas that are now parts of the eastern and central United States and Canada, including places like New England, the Atlantic coast, the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains., the local indigenous tribes. Barlowe came back to England, bringing two The Croatoan tribe was an Algonquian indigenous American group who lived on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. tribesmen, who told Raleigh all about the area. In 1585, Raleigh then sent five ships led by Raleigh's cousin, Richard Grenville, on a second expedition to the area.
The voyage to Roanoke
Walter Raleigh wanted to lead the 1585 expedition to set up a colony in Roanoke, in an area the English called Virginia, but Queen Elizabeth I would not let him be away from England for so long, so Richard Grenville and a soldier called Ralph Lane took charge of the expedition.
The fleet of seven ships set sail from Plymouth on 9 April 1585. On board were 600 sailors, soldiers and colonists, along with scientist Thomas Hariot and artist John White. The journey across the Atlantic was difficult. Just five days after leaving England, a storm scattered the fleet. Grenville’s ship, the Tiger, continued alone, stopping in the West Indies for supplies before heading north to Roanoke.
The final part of the voyage was also dangerous. The coastline near Roanoke had hidden sandbanks, and the ships became stuck just as a storm hit. The colonists lost much of their equipment and the seeds they had planned to plant. They quickly realised that they would need help from the local indigenous communities if they were to survive.
Building the colony at Roanoke
By the end of July 1585, Ralph Lane had become governor of the new colony at Roanoke. His first task was to build a wooden fort, including houses, a storehouse, workshops and a church. The original plan to settle 600 men was quickly abandoned. Instead, Lane stayed with just 107 colonists while Richard Grenville returned to England to get more supplies.
During the autumn of 1585, the colonists began exploring the surrounding area of Virginia.
As winter approached and food supplies ran low, relations between the colonists and the Algonquian deteriorated. Ralph Lane claimed that Chief Wingina was planning an attack on the colony. In response, Lane launched a pre-emptive assault in June 1586, killing Wingina and scattering his followers. This marked a turning point, and hostilities between the Algonquian and the English grew, resulting in the colonists fleeing on a rescue fleet led by Francis Drake in 1586.
Raleigh’s first attempt to establish a permanent English colony had failed. However, valuable knowledge had been gained. In 1588, Thomas Hariot and John White published a detailed report about what they referred to as the 'new world’. This information later helped the English set up their first successful colony at Jamestown in 1607.
The 1587 Expedition
In 1587, Sir Walter Raleigh organised a new group of colonists to establish a settlement at Chesapeake Bay. At this point he wasn't aware that the colony at Roanoke had failed, so on the way they stopped at the island to check on the earlier colonists. When they arrived, they found the settlement abandoned, with no clear explanation for what had happened. A single skeleton was discovered, but no other evidence of the previous group remained.
Although they had planned to continue to Chesapeake Bay, the commander of the fleet decided that the new settlers should remain on Roanoke and rebuild the colony. The reasons for this decision remain unclear. Tensions with some local indigenous groups soon became apparent, and concerns about safety led the colonists to ask their governor, John White, to return to England to request support. He left behind 115 people, including his granddaughter, who was Virginia Dare — the first known child born to settlers in North America.
Timeline of events
The Lost Colony
Due to bad weather, and later the outbreak of war with Spain and the Spanish Armada, White was unable to return to Roanoke for three years. When he finally arrived in August 1590, he found the settlement deserted once again. The colonists had disappeared without trace. There were no signs of conflict or destruction, but also no clear evidence of where they had gone.
Carved into a tree was the word “Croatoan,” the name of a nearby island and a local indigenous group. White was unable to investigate further due to worsening weather, and no formal follow-up was made until 1609. The fate of the settlers remains unknown and has been the subject of speculation ever since.
Why the voyage to Roanoke was attempted
Why the colony failed
- Poor planning
- Dependence on local people for food
- Conflict with indigenous Americans
- Lack of supplies and poor leadership
- The disappearance of the 1587 colony (the "Lost Colony").
