Invading America

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David Childs. Invading America

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The replica of the Roanoke-based Elizabeth under sail.

A Joy on the Journey

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The following year a more determined effort was made to establish a presence in the region when, at the end of May, Captain George Popham, accepting the presidency of the North Virginia Colony, sailed from Plymouth on 31 May in Gifte of God in company with Mary and John, commanded by Raleigh Gilbert. A quiet voyage saw them arrive off Maine by late July, where they navigated their way through offshore islands and encounters with Amerindians, eventually to establish a fort at the mouth of the Sagadahoc (now Kennebec) River in mid-August, where they intended their 100 potential settlers to live. They called it Fort St George, a neat tribute to both their president and their patron saint, but they were not to live beneath their flag for long. Shortage of supplies led to half the colony sailing home in Gifte of God in December. Then, in February 1608 George Popham died, while the March relief vessels brought with them news of the death of his relative and their sponsor, Sir John Popham. Worse news for the settlers came in September when they learned that Raleigh Gilbert, who had taken up the presidency, had succeeded to the Compton Castle estate. The new heir did not hesitate, choosing to return home to a far more certain and comfortable fortune. Deprived of both sponsorship and leadership, the remaining colonists decided to return with him, embarking in Mary and John and Virginia, a pinnace that they had built themselves and which has the lasting glory of being the first English ship to be constructed in the new world.

Annapolis Royal, 1604. Lying on the sheltered side of Nova Scotia, the deep inlet on which Annapolis Royal now lies proved an attractive settlement site for both the French and the English. Champlain’s jolly map shows both the wonderful natural harbour of Port Royal and the young whale that amused the French with its daily performances in the bay.

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