Arthur Barlowe

Partial quote from Arthur Barlowe describing the New World in 1584, on display in the visitor center

National Park Service

Quick Facts

Significance:

Co-leader of 1584 English expedition to the Outer Banks

Place of Birth:

Unknown

Date of Birth:

Unknown

Place of Death:

Unknown

Date of Death:

Unknown

Place of Burial:

Unknown

Unlike Philip Armadas with whom he shared command of the 1584 scouting expedition, Arthur Barlowe was an experienced soldier, sailor, and writer. Having served under Sir Walter Raleigh in the Irish Wars of the 1570s, Barlowe continued in his service as an explorer.

Arriving on the North Carolina coast, Barlowe was impressed by the natural resources and its people. He wrote a detailed picture of the area, proclaiming it a paradise. Of the area Barlowe would write, “I thinke in all the world the like abundance is not to be found.”