Ralph Lane

Ralph Lane (1530 - 1603) was an English explorer of the Elizabethan era.

Lane was born in Lympstone, Devon, England. His father was Sir Ralph of Orlingbury, and his mother, Maud, was a cousin of Catherine Parr, the last queen consort of Henry VIII.

Lane commenced service with the crown in 1563 as an equerry under Queen Elizabeth I of England, carrying out duties as an officer of the royal household, which included law enforcement and customs duties.

Lane is best remembered for his unsuccessful attempt to colonize Roanoke Island, at the request of Sir Walter Raleigh. Queen Elizabeth had been looking for areas to colonize and the Americas were ripe for expansion in the 1500s. The ill-fated journey began on April 9, 1585 when Lane set sail from Plymouth in the south west of England with Raleigh's cousin, Sir Richard Grenville. The voyage on board the vessel "Tiger" proved difficult, and Lane found himself at odds with the aggressive leadership of Grenville.

When they finally arrived in the Americas, Lane was left on Roanoke Island, Virginia with 107 colonists to explore and fortify the area. Almost immediately Grenville left with the "Tiger" to return to England. While on the Island, Lane served as Governor and employed his men in exploring the surrounding areas within a 130-mile radius and erecting a Fort to protect their outpost. Contact was made with the Native Americans, but they were treated harshly. For example, on several occasions the colonists kidnapped tribespeople for the purpose of extracting supplies or information. This treatment may eventually have resulted in the famed disappearance of the Roanoke settlers who remained behind after Sir Francis Drake departed with Lane and his crew.

After his departure from Roanoke, Lane participated in several other expeditions. He was then appointed muster-master general of Ireland in January 1592, and knighted in 1593. A year later, he suffered severe wounds in an Irish uprising against the crown, from which he never recovered. He died in October 1603.