What Happened To The Lost Colony Of Roanoke

What happened to the settlers of the Lost Colony of Roanoke? This is one of the greatest mysteries of history and there is little evidence that provides the answer to this question. In August of 1587, 115 English settlers formed a colony on Roanoke Island, an island along the East coast of North Carolina. This would have been the first permanent English settlement in the New World. After establishing the settlement, John White, the appointed governor of Roanoke, was chosen to return to England to get more supplies later that year. Fast forward three years, John White finally returns to Roanoke only to find that everyone is gone.

There are many theories from academics in various disciplines including archaeologists, historians, and researchers.

However, none of these theories have been proven to be historically correct. One theory is that the colonists used rafts and small boats to leave, were lost at sea, and subsequently killed by Spaniards. Another set of theories was that the colonists were killed off by disease, wiped out by a hurricane or storm, or attacked by natives. A third set of theories that suggest the colonists split into groups and assimilated into native tribes.
But before delving into these theories and their relative logic it is important to first establish the background of the colony.
Roanoke island is included in a chain group of barrier islands, now known as the Outer Banks.

The first group of Englishmen to arrive on Roanoke Island came in 1584 to map the area and explore. Another group came in 1585 to try to colonize the area but they had poor relationships with some of the Native American tribes. The Englishmen were soon forced out by some Native Americans because the colonists were using up valuable resources and land. Sir Walter Raleigh, the man behind the expeditions and establishing the colony, had his cousin, Sir Walter Grenville, send the second and third group of colonists. The third group was a group of 115 men, women, and children. This group included John White, his daughter, and his granddaughter. His granddaughter, Virginia Dare, was the first English child to be born in the

Americas.
When John White returned to England to retrieve more supplies and help, a major naval war broke out between England and Spain. Queen Elizabeth I ordered that all ships be used to defeat the Spaniards. As a result, White was stranded in England for three years. He was finally able to return to Roanoke in August of 1590. When he and his crew came back, there was no trace of the settlers they’d left there. The only clues they found were two etchings of words into a tree and a fence post which were “CRO” and “CROATOAN”. John White and his crew didn’t have time to search for the missing colonists because a storm was approaching Roanoke and to avoid it they had to go back to England. To this day, nobody knows what happened to those missing people. However, there are many theories, some plausible, some improbable.
The theory that the colonists used rafts and small boats to leave is not one of the more probable ones. The proponents of this theory either think that the missing people got lost at sea and then killed by Spaniards who came North from Florida, or went North and settled in Chesapeake Bay. However, no evidence has been found to prove this theory and the various sub-theories. This theory doesn’t explain the “CRO” and “CROATOAN” etchings. Furthermore, no records of a Spanish attack against the settlers have surfaced and nothing has been discovered around Chesapeake Bay that would indicate the presence of the lost Englishmen.
IThe theory that the colonists were killed off by a disease has also never been confirmed. The human body can be a very fragile thing, particularly in new environments, so it isn’t surprising that disease is the explanation that some people turned to when they were faced with this unsolved mystery. Because most of the Englishmen had never been to America before, they were exposed to all sorts of new germs, animals, and foods. They could have been exposed to a contagious antigen or microbe that went rampant through the colony and eventually killed everyone off. This sort of occurance isn’t completely unheard of and there are many examples throughout history of people catching deadly viruses when exposed to new environments or people from foreign places. However, this also wouldn’t explain the “CRO” and “CROATOAN” etchings and no bones have been found at the colony to provide support for this.
Another unconvincing theory is that of a hurricane or storm being the answer to what happened to all of those people.

Some believe that the people and buildings could’ve been wiped out by some massive natural disaster. Roanoke is an unprotected outer island that could have been subjected to a devastating water-borne disaster. This could explain what happened to the buildings, structures, and items of Roanoke colony and the “CRO” and “CROATOAN” etchings could mean they went to wait out the storm either south of Roanoke on island called Croatoan island or with the Native American tribe known as the Croatans. However, if the storm was large enough to destroy buildings and possibly kill people, the tree and fence post with the etchings on them wouldn't have been upright, let alone still on the island. Again we are left with another inconclusive

theory.
Now that the inconclusive theories are out of the way, more plausible theories can be discussed, like the theory that Native Americans attacked and destroyed the colony. Naturally the English settlers encountered the indigenous inhabitants of North America on their expeditions. While some Native Americans were peaceful and welcoming, others were not. The non-peaceful ones felt imposed upon and were unhappy that the settlers were using up their good land and resources. The Secotans were an example of a tribe that was violent and had bad relationships with the English. The tensions and hostility levels were high between these groups. Due to these poor relationships, there are theories that these indigenous people attacked Roanoke and killed the colonists.
It isn’t shocking that the Secotans could have wanted to be rid of the English, as they might have still been angry at the previous group to come to Roanoke. This also could explain the etchings because the colonists could have been trying to say that the survivors of the attacks went to live on Croatoan island, maybe with the Croatoans or possibly that the Croatoans attacked them instead. Opposing this theory, there are theories involving peaceful brotherhood between the natives and Englishmen.
Out of all of these beliefs about the mystery of the lost colony of Roanoke, the most popular belief is that the colonists split into two or more groups, as instructed in the event of a crisis, and assimilated into local Native American tribes. There could be many reasons for doing so, the most likely was a need to make up for their lack of resources and knowledge of the land.
There are also many places the colonists could have gone. The first, and most probable, being Croatoan Island. Other potential sites were inland, like Site X. Site X was found on a map drawn by John White that had patches on it to cover it up. Underneath the patches was a hidden star. The map is called La Virginia Pars and Site X is on the Albemarle Sound, near Edenton, North Carolina. It is now an excavation site where archaeologists have found shards of pottery. Near Site X is what archaeologists believe was a small Native American town that may have absorbed some of the colonists, called Mettaquem. In an area next to this old village, the excavation teams dug up English pottery similar to the kind that was dug up on Roanoke Island and is specific to the time of the lost Roanoke colony. Various other things were uncovered at Site X including a jar for food-storage, pieces of early gun flintlocks, a metal hook used to stretch tents or animal hides, and an aglet used before the 17th century. These findings have prompted the main archaeologist of the Site X excavation to believe that Roanoke colonists moved inland to live with friendly Native Americans.
↓ ? Cape Creek, 50 miles southeast from Roanoke on Hatteras Island, previously known as Croatoan Island, is another excavation site that has evidence of existence of Roanoke colonists living there. Cape Creek used to be a site of a major Croatoan town center and trading hub. In 1998, archaeologists from East Carolina University found a brass ring from 16th century early British America, engraved with a lion or horse. This discovery prompted an excavation of the site led by one of Britain’s Bristol University’s archaeologists, Mark Horton. Many things were found that would point to Roanoke colonists coming to Hatteras island. One item was a small piece of slate used as a writing tablet with a small letter “M” written in one corner. It had to have been used by someone who could read and write so it was most likely from the one of the lost, educated Englishmen. They also found a part of the hilt of an iron rapier, which is a a light sword like the ones they used in England in the late 1500s. In addition to these, an iron bar and large copper ingot (block) were found buried in layers of dirt which date back to the late 16th century. Native Americans didn’t have the metallurgy technology to have made these so it is believed these have English decent. Other artifacts of European and Native American origin were found by Horton and his team. Mark Horton told National Geographic that some of the items very well could have belonged to the missing Roanoke colonists. He said, “The evidence is that they assimilated with the Native Americans but kept their goods.” These objects found at the sites of old Croatoan villages that only English settlers had owned or made is the most promising evidence of this theory and whole mystery.
The author of this paper, Rebecca Risch, has formulated her own theory that she thinks is the most probable. It is informed by parts of the various theories discussed above. Her theory follows: The Secotan tribe attacked Roanoke. They did this because they disliked the colonists taking up valuable land and resources, which is why the 2nd group of colonists, who came in 1585, were driven out. The attack is the “crisis” that prompted the colonists to split up and flee, as instructed by the English authorities. The abandoned colony was then pillaged which is why none of the settlers buildings or items were left there.
The survivors of the Secotan attack split up into groups. One of the groups went to Croatoan island, and one group went west, inland to the area of Site X and Mettaquem. There could be more groups than just two. The groups then assimilated into the Native American tribes who lived where the colonists went, one of the groups being the Croatoans. This explains both etchings (“CRO” and “CROATOAN”) because the etchings were to tell John White and his crew that a group of them had gone to live on Croatoan island with the Croatoan Native Americans. The assimilations also explain the English artifacts found at old Native American sites. Rebecca thinks that her theory is the most rational because it accounts for all of the evidence found and all of the facts known about the colony and colonists. However, the mystery remains.
The mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke will probably remain a mystery forever. Even though we have enough information to make theories about what happened, no one theory has been definitively proved correct. Unless some new profound proof arises that can be used to determine a definitive answer, this mystery will not be solved. If there is some evidence out there that could answer our questions about Roanoke, why haven’t we found it yet? The technological advances of research and archaeology have unquestionably brought us closer to an answer, but it hasn’t gotten us there quite yet. Only time will tell if we get a solution to this mystery of history.