Background
Amadas was born about 1565, probably in Plymouth, England.
Amadas was born about 1565, probably in Plymouth, England.
On March 25, 1584, there was granted to Sir Walter Raleigh by Queen Elizabeth a patent empowering him to "discover, search, find out and view . .. heathen and barbarous lands . .. the colonists to have all the priviledge of Denizens and persons native of England. " By April Raleigh had fitted out two vessels, one under the command of Philip Amadas of Hull, and the other under that of Arthur Barlowe.
On April 27, 1584, the ships "departed the West of England. " Their course led them first to the Canary Islands and thence to the West Indies. Turning northward, on July 2, they entered shoal water. On July 4 the ships reached the coast of what is now North Carolina. Sailing along the coast 120 English miles they entered an inlet. They then "manned their boats and went to view the land next adjoyning. " Of this land they took possession in the name of the Queen. It proved to be an island twenty miles long and about six miles broad--"the isle of Wokokon" over against Pamlico Sound. The island was found to be "full of grapes" and to contain "goodly cedar trees, " deer, hares, and wild fowl. In a few days the explorers were visited by forty or fifty Indians "as mannerly and civill as any of Europe. "
In return for these visits the English made a journey to Ohanoak (Roanoke) Island, distant from the harbor by which they entered, "seven leagues. " Here was found a village of nine houses surrounded by a stockade, some of the houses containing five rooms. The visitors were treated to a foot-bath and given a feast of venison, melons, etc. They heard of places such as "Pomeyooc" (west of the present site of Engelhard, North Carolina), "Nomopana" (the Chowan River), and "Sequotan"--a position apparently near Blount Bay.
By September the ships were back in England, and their report, written by Barlowe, so pleased Elizabeth that she stood god-mother to the new colony, naming it Virginia.
In 1585 Raleigh furnished seven ships to take permanent possession of the country discovered by Amadas and Barlowe, and Sir Richard Grenville was sent out as admiral with Ralph Lane as governor of the colony. With Grenville went Capt. Amadas, whom Hakluyt sets down as "Admirall" of Virginia. Amadas, with others, now passed over to the mainland, "victualled for eight dayes, " on a tour of discovery during which the party actually set eyes upon "Pomeyooc" and "Sequotan. " Under the government of Ralph Lane, Amadas, says Hakluyt, remained in Virginia "one whole yeere. "