page_title: Roanoke Colony
section_title: Establishment of the colony
hierarchical_section_title: Roanoke Colony / Lane colony / Establishment of the colony
caption_attribution_description: English: An engraved illustration of Secotans fleeing the burning of Aquascogoc in 1585. English explorers visited several Secotan villages during Richard Grenville's expedition to establish a colony on Roanoke Island. After a silver cup was reported stolen, Grenville ordered a party to return to Aquascogoc (at what is now Belhaven, North Carolina) to demand its return. When the cup was not found, the English burned the village to the ground. This image appears in the The Indian: On the Battle-field and in the Wigwam (1858) with the caption "Grenville Burning An Indian Town," and in An Illustrated History of the New World (1868) with a similar caption. However, historical records do not tell us whether Grenville personally led the attack. Both books mention illustrations by "Croome" but do not specifically credit the creator of this image.
context_page_description: The Roanoke Colony refers to two attempts by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America. The English, led by Humphrey Gilbert, had claimed St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1583 as the first North American English colony by royal prerogative of Queen Elizabeth I. Roanoke was second. The first Roanoke colony was established by governor Ralph Lane in 1585 on Roanoke Island in what is now Dare County, North Carolina, United States. Following the failure of the 1585 settlement, a second colony led by John White landed on the same island in 1587, and became known as the Lost Colony due to the unexplained disappearance of its population.
  Lane's colony was troubled by a lack of supplies and poor relations with the local Native Americans. While awaiting a delayed resupply mission by Richard Grenville, Lane decided to abandon the colony and return to England with Francis Drake in 1586. Grenville arrived two weeks later and left a small detachment to protect Raleigh's claim. In 1587 Raleigh sent White on an expedition to establish the Cittie of Raleigh in Chesapeake Bay.
context_section_description: The loss of provisions from Tiger meant that the colony would support far fewer settlers than originally planned. Grenville decided that only about one hundred would stay with Lane, which would be enough to fulfill the colony's objectives until another fleet, scheduled to leave England in June 1585, could deliver a second wave of colonists and supplies. However, Grenville could not know that this expedition had been redirected to Newfoundland, to alert fishing fleets that the Spanish had begun seizing English commercial vessels in retaliation for attacks by English privateers. Until a resupply mission could be arranged, Lane's colony would be heavily dependent on the generosity of the natives.
  While Tiger was under repair, Grenville organized an expedition to exploring Pamlico Sound and the Secotan villages of Aquascogoc, Pamlico, and Secotan. His party made contact with the locals, presenting Harriot and White with an opportunity to extensively study Native American society. Although much of their research did not survive the 1586 evacuation of the colony, Harriot's extensive survey of Virginia's inhabitants and natural resources was published in 1588, with engravings of White's illustrations included in the 1590 edition.
  Following this initial exploration, a silver cup was reported missing. Believing the item stolen, Grenville sent Amadas to lead a detachment back to Aquascogoc to demand the return of the missing property. When the villagers did not produce the cup, the English decided that severe retribution was necessary in order to avoid the appearance of weakness. Amadas and his men burnt down the entire town and its crops, sending the natives fleeing.
  Manteo arranged a meeting for Grenville and Lane with Granganimeo, to provide land for the English settlement on Roanoke Island. Both sides agreed that the island was strategically located for access to the ocean and to avoid detection from Spanish patrols. Lane began construction of a fort on the north side of the island. There are no surviving renderings of the Roanoke fort, but it was likely similar in structure to the one at Mosquetal.
  Grenville set sail for England aboard Tiger on August 25, 1585. Days later in Bermuda, Grenville raided a large Spanish galleon Santa Maria de San Vicente, which had become separated from the rest of its fleet. The merchant ship, which Grenville took back to England as a prize, was loaded with enough treasure to make the entire Roanoke expedition profitable, spurring excitement in Queen Elizabeth's court about Raleigh's colonization efforts.
  Roebuck left Roanoke on September 8, 1585, leaving behind one of the pinnaces under the command of Amadas.  Records indicate 107 men remained with Lane at the colony, for a total population of 108. However, historians disagree as to whether White returned to England with Grenville, or spent the winter at Roanoke despite his absence from the list of colonists.
caption: Assault on Aquascogoc
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