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- Sir Walter Raleigh, and Englishman, went to Roanoke, an island near the
coast of North Carolina, with a
group of English colonists. However, though they arrived in 1585, they
went back in 1586. A second group arrived one year later, in 1587, led
by John White. Virginia Dare, White’s granddaughter, was born that year
in the new settlement. White later returned to England for supplies. His
return was delayed three years by war with the Spanish. When he finally arrived back, all the colonists had
disappeared completely, a large fort wall constructed around the colony.
The only trace was “CRO” and “CROATOAN” carved into the nearby trees.
However, there was no Maltese cross beside these messages, which was a
code arranged that meant they left for the area of native Croatoan
tribe, and not in distress. Still, what became of the 113 colonists?
Read on, and find out what some authorities believe.
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- Two main theories have been brought up to explain Roanoke’s
disappearance. One ends with the majority of the colonists being
slaughtered by natives, while the other states they blended with the
native Indian tribes over time.
- Aliens abducting the colonists was also offered as an explanation.
However, there is no credible evidence to back this theory up.
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- David Beers Quinn, a prominent historian, believes the colonists were
murdered by natives. Originally, he thinks the colonists agreed to split
up, with twenty-five men staying behind and the rest going to Chesapeake
bay to try to settle there, and live with the Chesapeake Indians.
- As for the twenty five men, the
theory says that after some time doubted White’s return, and moved to
live with the Croatoan tribe. After all, they were all men, isolated and
alone. Also, they were running out of supplies. Just in case John White
arrived, they carved the messages in the trees.
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- Quinn’s theory is that a very powerful tribe called the Powhatan, named
for it’s leader, killed them all. The cause was their Chieftain thought
the English would overthrow his tribe, and he believed this because of
prophecies by his priests. As more of the English started settling near
his land, he became more and more worried, and he sent his warriors to
eliminate the lost colonists and their Chesapeake hosts, and what he
thought was threat to his power. He then later said the Chesapeake were
unfriendly, leading English settlers away from signs of the slaughter.
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- Englishmen of the Virginia Company went inland to try to find a spot to
settle. They found many odd things, such as a mysterious clearing five
miles around. They also saw large clouds of smoke which they though was
from a native fire. Even stranger was farmland and a plot of strawberry
bushes. Throughout, they saw no natives at all. The smoke could have
been Powhatan’s warriors burning down evidence of the massacre, and the
land former agriculture of the Chesapeake.
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- Powhatan later confessed to being present at the massacre of the
colonists, but he had also become named sub-King of the region through
cooperating with King James, so his priests were blamed for the
slaughter.
- There was a report of four men living with as native tribe near the
Roanoke area, and the report said they had been left by Walter Raleigh,
and had escaped the slaughter, and were smelting copper for the tribe.
However, there is no actual proof that these were really four of the
lost colonists.
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- Stephen B. Weeks believed that the colonists soon moved after White
left. However, they did not move to Croatoan island, which was barren
and sandy. He thinks they moved to a different place that was inhabited
by the Croatoan Indian tribe, the peninsula of Dasamonguepeuc. As time
passed, Weeks believes they became integrated with the natives, and
eventually became one.
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- One report by a colonist says that he spotted a native boy in the area
of the colonists with “hair of a perfect yellow and… white skin.”
- There were also rumors of some of the colonists within fifty miles of
the Jamestown fort. There had been crosses and letters found carved into
the trees.
- John Smith was told by a native leader who lived near Roanoke that he
had seen men like Smith.
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- William Strachey, a member of the Virginia Company, reported stone,
multi-floor houses built in English fashion, however being built by the
natives.
- Stephen B. Weeks found that Croatoan natives had similar speech patterns
to the lost Colonists. (i.e.: father was pronounced fayther and wit was
used instead of knowledge)
- There are many more clues that help support this theory.
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- Personally, I believe that they were killed by Powhatan’s warriors. I
also think that they split up after some time after John White left, and
were killed shortly after going to the Croatoans. Basically, I believe
David Beers Quinn, whose theory I mentioned first. Though there is mounds of reports that
would imply English influence on the Croatoan tribe, it’s Powhatan’s
confessions that seals the deal. I don’t think a powerful leader like
him would lie and say he did something that would get him in trouble
with the English. However, you may have a different belief, and you
could be right. After all, it is still and unsolved mystery.
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- Schouweiler, Tom. The Lost Colony of Roanoke San Diego: Greenhaven
Press, 1991
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke_Island
- http://usparks.about.com/cs/parkhistory/a/virginiadare.htm
- http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/280/5363/564
- Clip Art
- Power Point
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Notes
