1584: The First English Voyage

Other Voyages

• 1585: The Military Colony
• 1587: The Lost Colony
• 1590 Voyage

"The earth bringeth forth all things in abundance, as in the first creation, without toil or labor." - Arthur Barlowe

 

16th Century Map of the East Coast of America by John White.

National Park Service

In the late sixteenth-century, the Spanish were the undisputed colonial superpower in the New World. Catholic Spain, under the rule of Philip II, had dominated the coast of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Florida for the latter part of the 1500s. Protestant England, under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I, sought to circumvent Spanish dominance in the region by establishing colonies in the New World.

England’s attempt at colonization would serve two purposes. First, a colony would act as a buffer against Spanish control of the North and South American coasts. Second, a colony would act as a base for privateering, allowing English ships to attack Spanish vessels and gain control of Spanish treasure and trade routes in the region. This plan, proposed by Sir Walter Raleigh, was not initially received well by Queen Elizabeth I. The Queen was concerned about the potential retaliation by the Spanish and would not be convinced to change her mind. However, Sir Walter Raleigh was eventually granted a charter, with the conditions that his colony be established within seven years and that he remained in England. With Queen Elizabeth’s blessing, Raleigh sent a reconnaissance expedition to the New World in April 1584.

The expedition, two ships under the command of Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe, first traveled south, stopping in the Canary Islands. From there, they traveled west to the West Indies (modern day Caribbean). The ships stayed there for twelve days before departing and heading north. The expedition finally arrived on the Outer Banks of present-day North Carolina in July 1584. The goal of England’s 1584 expedition was not to establish a colony but to scout potential locations along the eastern seaboard for future settlement. The sailors found a potential site at Roanoke Island, a small land mass resting between the mainland and the Outer Banks. Barlowe, in his account of the voyage, attested that “the soil is the most plentiful, sweet, fruitful, and wholesome of all the world.”

In addition to praising the natural resources of Roanoke Island, the 1584 expedition also made contact with the Carolina Algonquian. One of the first Carolina Algonquian to have contact with the English was Granganimeo of the Roanoac Tribe. Granganimeo, acting in the place of his brother, Chief Wingina, realized the English would be powerful allies. He made the English feel welcome and traded with them, opening the door to a possible alliance.

Perhaps the most important outcome of the 1584 expedition was the return to England with two Algonquian on board, Manteo of the Croatoan tribe and Wanchese of the Roanoacs. The two Algonquian were the subject of much fascination upon their arrival in England and likely boosted Raleigh’s efforts to enlist more investors in the potential colony. They worked closely with scientist Thomas Hariot to learn English, and taught Hariot the basics of the Algonquian language. In addition, Manteo and Wanchese provided the English with detailed descriptions of Algonquian culture and social structure.

On April 9, 1585, almost one year to the day of the first expedition’s departure, 600 English soldiers and sailors in seven ships (with Manteo and Wanchese on board) sailed from Plymouth, England in an attempt to establish the first English colony in North America.