The First English
Christmas In
North Carolina
By J I'Ll A M. STREET
II is quite possible, perhaps proba¬
ble. that in another three hundred and
ninety-three years. English speaking
people will be keeping Christmas in as
far-fetched a place — say the moon or
Venus — as was North Carolina to En¬
gland in 1585. That was the year that
Sir Walter Raleigh's first colony to the
New Found World was uneasily abid¬
ing on Roanoke Island, and there the
108 men doubtless celebrated the first
English Christmas in a strange, untried
land, a land that is now North Caro¬
lina.
Sir Walter himself had intended
leading the small band of colonists to
settle in this fair land, but at the last
moment the Queen forbade her favor¬
ite to leave England, to his great cha¬
grin and disappointment, and thus
doubtless doomed the enterprise. Ra¬
leigh was forced to put the expedition
under the capable direction of his
cousin and experienced sea-dog. Sir
Richard Grenville; and the bungling
guidance of Ralph I-ane. an "upstart at
the Queen's Court, who was not the
type to rule."
The little fleet of seven ships sailed
from Plymouth Harbor on the morning
of April 9th. 1585 with the Tyner as
flagship, followed by the Lyon, the
Roebuck, the Elizabeth, the Dorothy
and two small pinnaces, "bade
Godspeed" by a cheering crowd in¬
cluding Raleigh and the Queen.
All went well for a time. The seven
ships, with an added prize seized from
the Spanish Plate Fleet off Florida,
made a successful voyage of just under
three months and landed in the sound
off Roanoke Island. Here the 108 men
set about settling in that so-called
paradise, whose soil, declared Captain
Amadas, who had made a scouting trip
the year before, "was The most plen¬
tiful. sweete. fruiteful. and wholesome
in the whole world." and whose people
"were the most gentle, loveing. faith¬
ful. devoid of all guile, and such as live
after the manner of the Golden Age."
But such an Elysian state was all too
short-lived, and Roanoake soon
proved to be less than a paradise.
Sir Richard tried to get the colonists
to prepare for an unknown w inter cli¬
mate by building houses and gathering
food supplies. The colony, however
was made up of the rag-tag of English
society, with some few adventuresome
nobles, all resistant to discipline, and
given to dependence upon the natives
for food, which naturally created trou¬
ble. In addition the unfortunate act of
having an Indian village and its corn
fields burned in retaliation for the loss
of a silver cup. set in motion a strong
spirit of distrust among the natives,
triggering mounting hostility.
Lane Wanted Gold
After Grenville sailed for home in
September, promising to return before
Easter with sorely needed supplies,
conditions in the colony gradually
bodly, except With friendly Monleo
THE STATE. OICIMBIR 197>
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