Early English attempts to start a colony in America

After learning quite a bit recently about Jamestown, England's first permanent successful colony in the New World, the natural thing to do would be to progress forward. Instead I found a book by Giles Milton 'Big Chief Elizabeth' about the earlier attempts to found a colony, culminating in a few chapters on Jamestown.

After the discovery of America, several merchants from England had gone over to America to try and trade with the natives, only to discover they weren't interested. In 1536, a man named Richard Hore, a wealthy London leather seller, decided it would be a good idea to travel to America to capture a native and bring him back to England, to be paraded around - for a fee. The attempt ended in disaster, they failed to capture a native (they ran away) and were so close to starvation that they were about to resort to cannibalism when they were rescued by a French ship.

Davy Ingrams - In 1567, a common sailor called Davy Ingrams was one of the crew on a ship captained by the slaver Sir John Hawkins. The mission to South America ended in disaster, and Hawkins had to abandon half his crew in Mexico. Ingrams, not content to spend the rest of his like in Mexico, selected a band of his more advenurous colleagues and decided to hike along the coast to Nova Scotia - aware that European fishing vessels operated in those waters. 3,000 miles late Davy and two of his men made it there, were picked up by a French vessel and eventually made it home - much to the astonishment of his family! Along the way he had encountered many natives, and learned much of the land along the American coastline.

Sir Humphrey Gilbert, a keen adventurer, heard about Davy Ingrams trek and interviewed him to get information and a map - he wanted to set up an expedition to explore America and found a colony (he made money by 'selling' plots of land to English merchants before he had even gone). He set up an expedition and fleet of ships to set sail for America (chronicled by Edward Hayes he went on the voyage). He reached Newfoundland, had a big party with many European fishing vessels there, decided it was not a hospitable area and headed for home. Along the way they lost most of their supplies, Sir Humphrey's ship sank, killing him and all on board, and the rest of the ships limped home, the crew and adventurers half starved.

Who now to continue the American adventure? No one else was interested, enter Walter Raleigh (half brother of Sir Humphrey Gilbert). Raleigh became a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, and through her he became one of the richest and most influential men in the country. He stepped forward and announced his intention of setting up a colony in America, getting a royal charter from the Queen in the process. He recruited intelligent men to help plan this new colony. In particular Thomas Harriot, considered extremely intelligent, a genius (a friend of Raleigh's since they had been at Oxford together). He set about teaching Raleigh's sailors how to sail across the Atlantic. Also Richard Hakluyt, an old friend of Raleigh's and another American enthusiast. It was he who suggested they launch an expedition to capture a native to bring back to England, teach English, and thus learn from him about his native land (he got this idea from French explorers who had done the same). They landed near Roanoake Island in present day Virginia, explored and brought back with them two natives Mantao, from Croatoan Island, and Wanchese from Roanoake Island. They were brought back to England.