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Roanoke Voyages Timeline
1584-1590
1584 The
Reconnaissance Voyage by Amadas & Barlowe
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March 25 –
Queen Elizabeth granted
patent to Walter Raleigh to plan settlements, discover,
and occupy lands in the unclaimed area of the
New World. |
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April 27 –
Captains Philip Amadas &
Arthus Barlowe along with master and pilot Simon
Fernandez departed from
England on a reconnaissance voyage
to North America. |
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July 4 –
Explorers sighted coast of
North Carolina |
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July 13 –
Explorers took possession
of the territory in the name of Queen Elizabeth and her
Walter Raleigh. First sight and contact with Native
Americans King Wingina and his brother
Granganimo. Trading began with the Native
Americans. |
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August 23 –
Explorers guided by
Simon Fernandez departed the Outer Banks and traveled
north to the mouth of the
Chesapeake Bay. Here they met with hostility
and sailed back to
England. Native
Americans Manteo & Wanchese returned to
England with the
explorers. |
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December –
Raleigh presented bill to
Parliament to confirm patent with discoveries made by
Amadas & Barlowe. The bill passed the House of Commons
but failed to pass the House of the Lords. Manteo
& Wanchese were speaking and understanding some
English by the end of the month. |
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1585 The Grenville
Expedition & Ralph Lane Colony
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January 6 –
Queen Elizabeth
knighted Walter Raleigh. |
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March 24 –
English territory in the
New World was named
Virginia after the “Virgin Queen”,
and Sir Walter Raleigh was proclaimed Lord and Governor
by the authority of Queen Elizabeth. |
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April 9 –
Seven ships departed from
Plymouth for
Virginia under the command of Sir
Richard Grenville. The fleet carried about 600 men and
two Native Americans, Manteo & Wanchese.
Simon Fernandez, master and pilot, John White, artist
for the expedition and merchant and colonist Thomas
Harvey was also a part of the 100 colonist that were
part of the expedition. |
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June 26 –
After several stops and
trading along the West Indies and coast of
Florida the fleet anchored at Wococon (Ocracoke
& Portsmouth
Islands). |
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July 11 –
English party left Wococon shore for exploration of mainland in the
Lake
Mattamuskeet area. |
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August 6 – Settlers and supplies
were unloaded and transferred to
Roanoke Island. Houses and fortifications
were constructed. |
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August 17 –
The fort on
Roanoke Island was almost complete. Ralph
Lane assumed command as
Governor of a colony of 108 men. |
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August 25 –
Grenville, Simon
Fernandez and John White departed for
England. |
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The Lane Colony After
the Departure of Grenville’s Fleet
September 10,
1585-June 19, 1586 |
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September/October – Lane and his
men explored the surrounding territory around
Roanoke Island. A party of 15 men explored
as far south as Secoton (about 100 miles) by tilt boat. |
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November/February
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Exploration continue by Ralph Lane's men as far
north as the Chesapeake Bay near the shore of
Cape Henry. Exploration also continued to the
northwest as far as Chawanoac about 130 miles
from Roanoke Island. Exploration continued with
Wingina's guide through the Albemarle
Sound and up the Chowan River. Several Native
American towns were found along the Albemarle
Sound including Pasquenoke, Chepanoc,
Weapemeoac, Masequetuc and Metackwem.
Lane and his men continued exploration of
surrounding areas and traded with the Native
Americans along the banks fo the Roanoke River.
He learned of minerals and mines of gold that
were available on the mainland. |
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April 4 -
Lane and his exploration
party returned to their fort on
Roanoke Island hungry and weary as some of
the local Native Americans turned against him. Lane
found difficulty in trading for food as he made his way
back to his fort. |
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April -
Sir Walter Raleigh sent a
supply ship from
England to the Lane
colony. |
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April 20 – Native Americans
Osocan, Tanaquiny & Wanchese turn Wingina
and his tribe against the English and devise a plan to
restrict their food supply before they could harvest
their crops. Lane is forced to send small groups out
from the fort to hunt and fish for food. This weakened
the military strength at the fort.
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May –
Sir Richard Grenville
departed from
Bideford,
England with 7-8 ships to
re-supply the Lane colony.
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June – Wingina was uniting
the local Native Americans tribes against Lane. Ralph
Lane discovered the conspiracy
and surprised Wingina at his village and beheaded
him. |
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June 10 – Sir Francis Drake enroute
to England
stopped to offer the Lane colony supplies, equipment,
100 black slaves and 300 South American Indians that he
had collected in raids of the Spanish settlements in the
Caribbean and
Florida. |
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June 13 – A storm hit the Outer
Banks and the offer of supplies and ships were not
possible. Lane decided to abort the colony and return
to
England with Drake. |
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June 19 – Drake and the Lane colony
set sail for
England. Native
Americans Manteo & Towaye also go with the
settlers to
England. |
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End of June – Relief ship sent by
Sir Walter Raleigh arrives at Hatarask. The crew
searches briefly for the colony. Upon finding no one,
they return to
England
with all provisions aboard. |
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Middle of July – Sir Richard
Grenville arrives on the Outer Banks with his fleet and
finds the settlement deserted. He leaves 15 men and
supplies for two years and returns to
England. |
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July 27 – Drake fleet with the Lane
colony returns to
Portsmouth,
England. |
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September –
Grenville’s 15 men on
Roanoke Island were attacked by Native
Americans. Two were killed and thirteen escaped. They
were never found. |
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1587 John White’s Lost
Colony
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January 7 – Sir Walter Raleigh
granted a portion of his territory in the New World to
the corporation of the City of
Raleigh
in Virginia
and appointed John White as governor and a group of 12
assistants. |
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May 8 –
Three ships departed
Plymouth,
England and set sail for
Virginia. They carried 119
colonists, 9 assistants, Governor John White, and the
Native Americans, Manteo & Towaye. Simon
Fernandez was master and pilot. |
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July 16 – The ships reached the
mainland of
Virginia. |
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July 22 –
Colonists arrive at the
Roanoke Island settlement and find no sign of
Grenville’s men. |
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July 23 – White and his men start
repairing the houses that are still standing and begin
construction on new ones. |
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July 28 – George Howe, one of the
assistants was slain by Native Americans while crabbing
in the sound. He had strayed 2 miles from the rest of
the company. |
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August 1 – In meeting with the
Croatoans, the English discover that George Howe had
been slain by a group of Wingina’s men, and that
Grenville’s holding party had been attacked by a group
from Secoton, Aquascogoc, and Dasemunkepeuc.
Two of the men were slain and the remainder of the men
escaped in a boat to Hastarask. The English asked the
Croatoans to communicate with the Native
Americans that they have no grudge and want to come in
peace. The Croatoans pledged to bring an answer
from the other tribal leaders to
Roanoke Island within 7 days. |
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August 8 – Governor White did not
receive an answer from the Croatoans and took,
Capt. Stafford, Manteo, and 24 of his men to
Dasemunkepeuc to avenge George Howe’s death. |
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August 9 – Thinking they were
Wingina’s men, they attacked the village. After
killing one Native American they discover that these
were men, women and children of the Croatoan
tribe. Wingina’s men had fled the village and
the Croatoan’s had come to the village to gather
crops that had been left behind. |
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August 13 – Manteo was
christened on Roanoke Island and proclaimed Lord of
Roanoke & Dasemunkepec by order of
Raleigh. |
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August 18 – Daughter born to Elinor
& Ananias Dare on Roanoke Island.
This is also the granddaughter of John White.
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August 23 – Preparation were being
made to depart for
England
for supplies. There was great controversy as to who
should return to
England. No one wanted
to return. The whole company asked Governor White to
return as they thought he would be able to secure the
supplies faster than anyone else. White refused the
request. |
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August 24 –
Virginia, the daughter
of Elinor and Ananias Dare was christened in honor of
the country. The ceremony took place on
Roanoke Island. |
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August 25 – The assistants and
planters gave John White a bond and testimony requesting
his return to
England. He finally
agreed. |
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August 27 – Governor White departed
from Roanoke Island for
England. |
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October 9 – Queen Elizabeth ordered
a general stay of shipping because of the maritime
danger from
Spain. |
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November 5 – Governor White finally
arrives in
England. |
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November 20 – Governor White meets
with Raleigh
and urges him to relieve the colony. Raleigh
provides a pinnance to White but did not sail. |
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1588
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February 27 –
Raleigh planned to make an exception to the
stay of shipping for a fleet of Grenville’s ships to
Virginia.
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March 31 – A new colonizing
expedition of 7 ships under the command of Sir Richard
Grenville was ready to set sail from Bideford to
Virginia. Queen Elizabeth’s Privy
Council instructed Grenville to abort the
Virginia
voyage and to have his ships ready to join the Queen’s
Navy when needed.
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April 9 –
Grenville was commanded
to send his largest ships to
Plymouth to be a part of Drake’s
defense against the Armada. Grenville was given
permission to retain the smaller vessels for his
intended voyage to
Virginia.
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April 22 – Two ships were permitted
to sail to
Virginia
departed from Bideford with John White, 15 additional
colonists and provisions for the settlement. |
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May 22 – After a maritime battle
with several ships John White’s voyage to
Virginia
was aborted and they returned to Bideford.
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August 18 – Queen Elizabeth
delivers her “Armada” speech to her troupes at Tilbury,
exactly one year after the birth of Virginia Dare. |
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1590
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March 20 –
Three ships and 2 small shallops and John White set sail for the
Virginia colony from
Portsmouth,
England.
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August 15 – The ships anchored at Hatarask, and John White spotted smoke rising from
Roanoke Island from where he thought the
place where he had left the colony. |
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August 17 – John White and 18
others tried to get to the Roanoke Island settlement but
overshot the place where the settlers had been left in
1587 by a quarter of a mile. There was a fire on the
north end of the island and rowed towards the fire and
made trumpet calls, sang English tunes and called out to
the settlers. There was no answer. |
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August 18 – The search continues as
they come upon the settlement and find it deserted,
houses taken down, and overgrown with weeds and trees.
Carved on a tree on a sandy bank were the letters “CRO”.
Carved on a post at the entrance was the word
Croatoan. They then walked along the shore to the
place where the settlers had kept their boats and
pinnance, but there was nothing there. Having finished
their search of Roanoke
Island, they returned to
their ships at Hatarask. White was convinced
that some of the settlers had removed to Croatoan,
where the Native Americans were their friends.
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August 19 –
A storm prevented the
sail to Croatoan and food and water was in short
supply. It was decided against John White’s wishes to
return to
England. |
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October 24 – John White landed in
Plymouth,
England. |
