The Lost Colony of Roanoke

In July 1587 about 150 men, women and boys settled on Roanoke Island, off what is now North Carolina, led by the artist John White. It was one of Sir Walter Raleigh's attempts to found an English colony in America.

On 18 August 1587 White's granddaughter, Virginia Dare, was born: the first English child born in the Americas. A few days later White sailed home for supplies. It was the last contact anyone had with the colonists.

The war with Spain and the Spanish Armada of 1588 kept him away. When he finally landed on Roanoke again, on 18 August 1590, the houses had been taken down and the site was enclosed by a palisade.

On a tree he found the letters CRO. On a post of the palisade, carved in capitals, was the word CROATOAN, the name of an island to the south and its people. Before he left, the colonists had agreed to carve a cross if they were forced to leave in distress. There was no cross. Storms stopped White from searching further, and he never learned what became of them.