The illustration at the top of this scene shows some Indians at Roanoke going fishing and is based on another of Governor
John White’s drawings.
For the first time the immigrants setting foot at the northern end
of Roanoke Island include women as well as men and some children. They are probably people of small means who have invested
their savings to participate. Their reward is 500 acres per man, albeit of un-cleared land. Among the women there, to help
her husband Ananias Dare is Eleanor who is the daughter of John White. They have to get to work immediately to defend themselves
for apart from finding just the bones of the previous garrison, the earthworks of the fort are found razed to the ground and
the fort damaged by fire by the Indians. The houses outside the perimeter are however found undamaged though overgrown so
everyone sets to work to repair them and build new cottages.
The fresh activity does nothing to endear them with the local Roanoke Indians who have retreated to the mainland in
order to prepare raiding attacks on the English intruders when chances present themselves. Soon the opportunity materialises
when George Howe, one of White’s assistants (arms shown here) is spotted alone on the beach, just wearing 1587’s
equivalent of modern-day pants. He’s fishing in the breaking waves for crabs. It’s also his last day on earth
for the natives creep up and fire 18 arrows into his body. It’s one settler down and a hundred and four to go…
George Maynard (arms shown here) is Mayor of Plymouth this year. Branches
of his family have been prominent merchants in Plymouth and Totnes for many years. (Christopher Maynard for example will
be Mayor of Totnes in 1632, 1658 and 1665).
Captain
Edward Spicer (Arms shown here) is probably a scion of the very ancient and prominent family living in Exeter. On
this Roanoke venture Spicer is commander of the flyboat and he and Governor White have many arguments which are documented
in White’s written account of the expedition.
