Roanoke Colony
former colony in present-day Dare County, North Carolina, US (1585–1590)
The Roanoke Colony (, ROH-ə-nohk) was the site of two attempts by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America. The first colony was established at Roanoke Island in 1585 as a military outpost, and was evacuated in 1586. The more famous second colony, known as the Lost Colony, began when a new group of settlers under John White arrived on the island in 1587; a ship in 1590 found the colony abandoned.
Roanoke Colony was founded by Governor Ralph Lane in 1585 on Roanoke Island in present-day Dare County, North Carolina. Poor relations with some of the local Native American tribes and a lack of supplies troubled Lane's colony. A resupply mission by Sir Richard Grenville was delayed, so Lane abandoned the colony and returned to England with Sir Francis Drake in 1586. Grenville arrived two weeks later and also returned home, leaving behind a small detachment to protect Raleigh's claim. A second expedition led by John White landed on the island in 1587. Sir Walter Raleigh had sent him to establish the "Cittie of Raleigh" on the Chesapeake Bay.
During a stop to check on Grenville's men, ship's pilot Simon Fernandes forced White and his colonists to remain on Roanoke.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Roanoke Colony” as former colony in present-day Dare County, North Carolina, US (1585–1590). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as former colony in present-day Dare County, North Carolina, US (1585–1590). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q59222. VIAF identifies the subject as 153781810. The Library of Congress control number is n97125409. Authority coordinates are 35.937, -75.709. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1585, 1586, 1587 and 1590.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Roanoke Colony”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Roanoke Colony primary sources, Roanoke Colony archive and Roanoke research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Roanoke Colony”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Roanoke Colony” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.