English explorer, soldier, and writer, Sir Walter Raleigh fought in the service of Queen Elizabeth I while in Ireland. He became a favorite of the Queen, and was knighted in 1585. He was made Captain of the Queen’s Guard, and was rewarded handsomely – including the right to colonize North America. His colony: Roanoke – before it disappeared.
On March 25, 1584, Queen Elizabeth I granted Raleigh a charter for the colonization of the area of North America. The charter specified that he needed to establish a colony, or lose his right to colonization. More specifically, the charter dictated that Raleigh was supposed to “discover, search, find out, and view such remote heathen and barbarous Lands, Countries, and territories… to have, hold, occupy, and enjoy.” He was also to establish a base from which to send privateers on raids against the treasure fleets of Spain, indicating to Spain that England was ready for War.
Forbidden to go himself, Raleigh was forced to send others in his stead, in an attempt to establish a colony near Roanoke, on the coast of what is now North Carolina and name it “Virginia” in honor of the virgin queen, Elizabeth. On April 27, 1584, the first expedition was dispatched led by Philip Amadas, and Arthur Barlowe, to explore the eastern coast of North America. They arrived on Roanoke Island on July 4, and quickly established relations with the local natives, the Secotans, and Coratans. Barlowe returned to England with two Croatans named Manteo and Wanchese, who met with Raleigh and described the politics and geography of the area. A second expedition departed on April 9, 1585, and a third in 1587.
During the second expedition, tensions between the natives and the English were high. Fights broke out with the settlers sacking and burning the village of Aquascogoc, who was blamed for stealing a silver cup. At this point, supplies were low, and Grenville decided it was best for him to return to England, with a promise to return in April 1586. He left Ralph Lane and 107 men to establish a colony at the north end of Roanoke Island.
Grenville, on his seventh day of sail, got swept up into a battle with the Spanish. After three days, he came out the victor, having captured a rich Spanish galleon, Santa Maria de San Vicente, which he took back to England with him as a prize. The colonists waited for Grenville to return, however April 1586 came and went. Bad blood was still bubbling on Roanoke, and the local Native Americans attacked. The colonists were able to repel them, and soon afterward, Sir Francis Drake was on his way home after a successful raid in the Caribbean, and he stopped at the colony, offering the colonists a ride back to England. Many accepted, and when Grenville’s relief fleet, they found the colony abandoned. Grenville had to return to England, but he left behind a detachment of fifteen men to maintain an English presence, and protect Sir. Walter Raleigh’s claim to Roanoke Island.
The third expedition included a group of 115 colonists who would establish a colony on Chesapeake Bay. The expedition was led by John White, an artist and friend of Raleigh who had also accompanied the previous expedition to Roanoke. White was appointed governor of the colony, and 12 assistants to aid in the settlement were named by Raleigh and White. On their way, they were ordered to stop at Roanoke to pick up the small contingent left there by Grenville, but when they arrived on July 22, 1587, they found nothing aside from a skeleton, which may have been the remains of one of the English garrison.
Finding no one, the master pilot, Simon Fernandez refused to let the colonists return to the ships, insisting that they establish the new colony on Roanoke. There, White worked to re-establish relations with the Croatan and other local tribes, however some whom Ralph Lane had fought with previously, refused to meet with him.
The colonists worked hard, repairing existing homes, and building new ones. Among the colonists were John White’s daughter, Eleanor, and her husband Ananias Dare. On August 18, Eleanor gave birth to a baby girl, naming her Virginia, and making young Virginia Dare the first English child born in the New World.
The colony was in need of supplies, and the colonists begged White to return to England. While he was reluctant to leave the colony, he finally agreed, setting sail on August 27. White planned on getting relief supplies, and more colonists in England, then return to Roanoke Island as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, just after White returned to England, King Philip II of Spain, and his armada, attacked the British, making it impossible for White to return to Roanoke until three years later.
When John White finally reached Roanoke Island on August 18, 1590, on what would be his granddaughter’s third birthday, he found the colony abandoned. There was no sign of the 90 men, 17 women, or 11 children. There was no sign of struggle, or a battle either. What he did find was the word “CROATOAN” carved into the post of the fence that wrapped around the village, as well as the letters C-R-O carved into a nearby tree.
All the houses that once stood had been dismantled. They weren’t destroyed, but carefully taken apart, meaning their departure had not been hurried. The colonists had been instructed by White, before he had left, that if anything happened to them, they should carve a Maltese cross on a tree nearby, indicating that their absence had been forced. There was no cross, and White understood this to mean that they had left, and moved to Croatoan Island (now known as Hatteras Island). White made two attempts to set sail to Croatoan Island, but both times he was thwarted by weather and rough seas. He was forced to return to England without ever knowing what had happened to his family.
There are many theories as to what happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke.
- Integration with the local tribes, specifically the Croatan
As previously mentioned Manteo had worked with the English, having even sailed to England to meet with Sir Walter Raleigh himself. Manteo belonged to the Croatan tribe, and was outspoken when it came to allying with the colonists on Roanoke. It would make sense, if the colony was having difficulty with survival, that they would integrate with the Croatan. Additionally, the word, “CROATOAN” indicates the island where the Croatan people resided. In his 1709 work, A New Voyage to Carolina, John Lawson wrote that the Croatans living on Hatteras Island used to live on Roanoke Island, and claimed to have white ancestors. Additionally, the Hatteras Indians, who either lived on Roanoke Island, or frequented it, report that several of their ancestors were white. Looking at these natives, it is found interesting that they, and only they, have gray eyes.
From the early 17th century to the middle 18th century, European colonists reported encounters with the gray-eyed American Indians, who claimed to be descendants of the colonists. Records from French Huguenots, who had settled along the Tar River in 1696, tell of meeting Tuscaroras with blonde hair and blue eyes.
In the late 1880’s, North Carolina state legislator, Hamilton McMillan, discovered that those of Indian descent in Robeson County, claimed to have been descended from the Roanoke settlers. He also noticed that many of the words in their language bore striking similarities to English words that were now obsolete. He was convinced these were the descendants of the Lost Colony, and he therefore helped to pass the “Croatan bill,” officially designating the population around Robeson county as Croatan. Two days later, on February 12, 1885, the Fayetteville Observer published an article regarding the Robeson people’s origins.
They say that their traditions say that the people we call the Croatan Indians (though they do not recognize that name as that of a tribe, but only a village, and that they were Tuscaroras), were always friendly to the whites; and finding them destitute and despairing of ever receiving aid from England, persuaded them to leave [Roanoke Island], and go to the mainland… They gradually drifted away from their original seats, and at length settled in Robeson, about the center of the county…
- The Spanish destroyed the colony
During the time the Roanoke colony disappeared, England was at war with Spain. The two countries were fighting over the colonization of the Americas, and there were even Spanish troops stationed in Florida at the time. Could the Spanish have attacked and caused the colonists to disappear?
- The Dare Stones
From 1937 to 1941, a series of inscribed stones were discovered, that are believed to have been written by Eleanor Dare, John White’s daughter, and the mother of Virginia Dare. They told of the travelings of the colonists, and their ultimate deaths.
Most historians believe that these stones are a fraud, but some believe that at least one of the stones is genuine. That stone is different from the rest, and based on a linguistic and chemical analysis, could be genuine. - Cannibalism
The colonists were low on supplies, and the delayed return of John White could have left them desperate. There is proof that the colonists of Jamestown resorted to cannibalism in 1609, is it possible the colonists of Roanoke did the same?
On the other hand, the other Native American tribes were somewhat hostile, if not completely. It was entirely possible that they would have attacked and eaten the British colonists. Many native cultures used bones as ingredients in healing remedies, grinding them into powder. That could explain why no bodies were ever found. - Plague
There are reports from Native American tribes that have claimed to witness internal warfare among the Roanoke colonists. Archaeologists theorize that the colonists had contracted a plague, which caused delirium, paranoia, or even complete madness among the infected. Those not infected would have wanted to vanquish those who were, to keep from getting sick themselves. - Zombie Apocalypse
Many on the internet like to discuss the idea of Roanoke serving as ground zero for some kind of zombie apocalypse. Going along with the plague/cannibal theories, the zombie virus would have given the colonists an insatiable hunger for human flesh, and hastened the decaying process of their own bodies. Their remains would be long gone, and the infestation would’ve been over before John White returned.
- The Reptilian Devil of the Woods
The Croatans believed that “greater spirits” manifested in the form of elements, and even reported a strange phenomenon that occurred at the same time the colonists disappeared. Birds fell from the sky, and large numbers of wildlife died abruptly in the area where the natives hunted.
The Croatans believed there was an evil spirit that took the form of a reptile. They believed it could attach itself to humans, and cause them to exhibit demonic traits such as violence, rapaciousness, and even greed. The Croatans reportedly warned the colonists that the reptilian devil had infested the region, and once fighting began, they knew they were infected.
What do you think happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke?
Up Next: Cannibalism in Jamestown
