John White (colonist and artist) - Revision history

imported>S20098: i added words that made it more descriptive

2025-10-12T01:04:12Z

i added words that made it more descriptive

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	{{Infobox artist		{{Infobox artist
	\| name = John White		\| name = John White
	\| image = ~~A popular history of the United States~~ - ~~from the first discovery of the western hemisphere by the Northmen~~, ~~to the end of the first century of the union of the states; preceded by a sketch of the~~ (~~14781233224~~).jpg		\| image = William Ludwell Sheppard & William James Linton - CROATOAN, The Lost Colony (John White).jpg
	\| caption = The return of Governor White to the "Lost Colony"		\| caption = The return of Governor White to the "Lost Colony"
	\| birth_date = {{circa\|1539}}		\| birth_date = {{circa\|1539}}
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	'''John White''' ({{circa\|1539}}–{{circa\|1593}}) was an English colonial governor, explorer, artist, and cartographer. White was among those who sailed with [[Richard Grenville]] in the first attempt to colonize [[Roanoke Island]] in 1585, acting as artist and mapmaker to the expedition. He would most famously briefly serve as the governor of the second attempt to found [[Roanoke Colony]] on the same island in 1587 and discover the colonists had mysteriously vanished.		'''John White''' ({{circa\|1539}}–{{circa\|1593}}) was an English colonial governor, explorer, artist, and cartographer. White was among those who sailed with [[Richard Grenville]] in the first attempt to colonize [[Roanoke Island]] in 1585, acting as artist and mapmaker to the expedition. He would most famously briefly serve as the governor of the second attempt to found [[Roanoke Colony]] on the same island in 1587 and discover the colonists had mysteriously vanished.

	During his time at Roanoke Island, he made several watercolor sketches of the surrounding landscape and the native [[Algonquian peoples\|Algonkin]] peoples. These works are significant as they are the most informative illustrations of a Native American society of the [[East Coast of the United States\|Eastern seaboard]]; the surviving original watercolors are now preserved in the [[print room]] of the [[British Museum]].		During his time at Roanoke Island, he made several watercolor sketches of the surrounding landscape and the native [[Algonquian peoples\|Algonkin]] peoples. These works are significant as they are the most informative illustrations of a Native American society of the [[East Coast of the United States\|Eastern seaboard]]; all of the surviving original watercolors are now preserved in the [[print room]] of the [[British Museum]].

	In 1587, White became governor of Sir [[Walter Raleigh]]'s failed attempt at a permanent settlement on Roanoke Island, known to history as the "[[Roanoke Colony\|Lost Colony]]". This was the earliest effort to establish a permanent [[British Empire\|English colony]] in the [[New World]]. White's granddaughter [[Virginia Dare]] was the first English child born in North America. In late 1587, White returned to England for supplies. The return expedition was delayed due to various reasons, including the [[Spanish Armada]]. Governor White finally returned to Roanoke Island in August 1590, but found the colony had been long deserted.		In 1587, White became governor of Sir [[Walter Raleigh]]'s failed attempt at a permanent settlement on Roanoke Island, known to history as the "[[Roanoke Colony\|Lost Colony]]". This was the earliest effort to establish a permanent [[British Empire\|English colony]] in the [[New World]]. White's granddaughter [[Virginia Dare]] was the first English child born in North America. In late 1587, White returned to England for supplies. The return expedition was delayed due to various reasons, including the [[Spanish Armada]]. Governor White finally returned to Roanoke Island in August 1590, but found the colony had been long deserted.
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	Finally, in March 1590, with the immediate threat of a Spanish invasion by now abated, Raleigh was able to equip White's rescue expedition. Two ships, the ''Hopewell'' and the ''Moonlight'' set sail for Roanoke.<ref>Milton, p. 257</ref> The return journey was prolonged by extensive [[privateering]] and several sea battles, and White's eventual landing at the [[Outer Banks]] was further imperiled by poor weather.<ref>Milton, p. 260</ref> The landing was hazardous and was beset by bad conditions and adverse currents. During the landing on Roanoke, of the mariners who accompanied White, "seven of the chiefest were drowned."<ref>Milton, p. 262</ref>		Finally, in March 1590, with the immediate threat of a Spanish invasion by now abated, Raleigh was able to equip White's rescue expedition. Two ships, the ''Hopewell'' and the ''Moonlight'' set sail for Roanoke.<ref>Milton, p. 257</ref> The return journey was prolonged by extensive [[privateering]] and several sea battles, and White's eventual landing at the [[Outer Banks]] was further imperiled by poor weather.<ref>Milton, p. 260</ref> The landing was hazardous and was beset by bad conditions and adverse currents. During the landing on Roanoke, of the mariners who accompanied White, "seven of the chiefest were drowned."<ref>Milton, p. 262</ref>

	Governor White finally reached Roanoke Island on 18 August 1590, his granddaughter's third birthday, but he found his colony had been long deserted. The buildings had collapsed and "the houses [were] taken downe."<ref name="Milton p.265">Milton, p. 265</ref> The few clues about the colonists' whereabouts included the letters "CRO" carved into a tree, and the word "[[Croatoan Island\|CROATOAN]]" carved on a post of the fort.<ref name="Milton p.265"/> Croatoan was the name of a nearby [[Croatoan Island\|island]] (likely modern-day [[Hatteras Island]]) and of a local tribe of Native Americans. Roanoke Island was originally not a planned location for the colony and the idea of moving elsewhere had been discussed. Before the Governor's departure, he and the colonists had agreed that a message would be carved into a tree if they had moved and would include an image of a [[Maltese Cross]] if the decision was made by force.<ref name="Milton p.265"/> White found no such cross and was hopeful that his family were still alive.<ref name="Milton p.266">Milton, p. 266</ref>		Governor White finally reached Roanoke Island on 18 August 1590, his granddaughter's (Virginia Dare) third birthday, but he found his colony had been long deserted. The buildings had collapsed and "the houses [were] taken downe."<ref name="Milton p.265">Milton, p. 265</ref> The few clues about the colonists' whereabouts included the letters "CRO" carved into a tree, and the word "[[Croatoan Island\|CROATOAN]]" carved on a post of the fort.<ref name="Milton p.265"/> Croatoan was the name of a nearby [[Croatoan Island\|island]] (likely modern-day [[Hatteras Island]]) and of a local tribe of Native Americans. Roanoke Island was originally not a planned location for the colony and the idea of moving elsewhere had been discussed. Before the Governor's departure, he and the colonists had agreed that a message would be carved into a tree if they had moved and would include an image of a [[Maltese Cross]] if the decision was made by force.<ref name="Milton p.265"/> White found no such cross and was hopeful that his family were still alive.<ref name="Milton p.266">Milton, p. 266</ref>

	True to their word, the colonists had looked after White's belongings, which had been carefully buried and hidden. However, local Indians had looted the hiding place, and White found "about the place many of my things spoyled and broken, and my books torne from the covers, the frames of some of my pictures and mappes rotten and spoyled with rayne, and my armour almost eaten through with rust."<ref>Milton p. 267</ref>		True to their word, the colonists had looked after White's belongings, which had been carefully buried and hidden. However, local Indians had looted the hiding place, and White found "about the place many of my things spoyled and broken, and my books torne from the covers, the frames of some of my pictures and mappes rotten and spoyled with rayne, and my armour almost eaten through with rust."<ref>Milton p. 267</ref>
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	== Further reading ==		== Further reading ==
	* Dulac, Anne-Valérie, "Fish in Watercolour : John White’s Lively Specimens", ''RursuSpicae'' (2022), http://journals.openedition.org/rursuspicae/2198 ; {{~~DOI~~\|10.4000/rursuspicae.2198}}		* Dulac, Anne-Valérie, "Fish in Watercolour : John White’s Lively Specimens", ''RursuSpicae'' (2022), http://journals.openedition.org/rursuspicae/2198 ; {{doi\|10.4000/rursuspicae.2198}}
	* Miller, Lee, ''[[Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony]]''. Retrieved April 2011		* Miller, Lee, ''[[Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony]]''. Retrieved April 2011
	* Milton, Giles, ''Big Chief Elizabeth – How England's Adventurers Gambled and Won the New World'', Hodder & Stoughton, London (2000){{ISBN?}}		* Milton, Giles, ''Big Chief Elizabeth – How England's Adventurers Gambled and Won the New World'', Hodder & Stoughton, London (2000){{ISBN?}}

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Early life: Improved link

imported>Gommeh: Reverted good faith edits by 186.17.139.16 (talk): The word was spelled correctly: "governor"

2025-05-06T13:50:20Z

Reverted good faith edits by 186.17.139.16 (talk): The word was spelled correctly: "governor"

New page

{{Short description|English governor of the Roanoke Colony (1587 to 1590)}}
{{For|information about other persons with the name John White|John White (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox artist
| name = John White
| image = A popular history of the United States - from the first discovery of the western hemisphere by the Northmen, to the end of the first century of the union of the states; preceded by a sketch of the (14781233224).jpg
| caption = The return of Governor White to the "Lost Colony"
| birth_date = {{circa|1539}}
| birth_place = [[London]], England
| death_date = {{circa}} 1593 (aged {{circa}} 54)
| patrons = [[Sir Walter Raleigh]]
| spouse = {{marriage|Tomasyn Cooper|1566}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Colonial governor|explorer|artist|mapmaker}}
| children = [[Eleanor Dare|Eleanor]] and 1 son
}}

'''John White''' ({{circa|1539}}–{{circa|1593}}) was an English colonial governor, explorer, artist, and cartographer. White was among those who sailed with [[Richard Grenville]] in the first attempt to colonize [[Roanoke Island]] in 1585, acting as artist and mapmaker to the expedition. He would most famously briefly serve as the governor of the second attempt to found [[Roanoke Colony]] on the same island in 1587 and discover the colonists had mysteriously vanished.

During his time at Roanoke Island, he made several watercolor sketches of the surrounding landscape and the native [[Algonquian peoples|Algonkin]] peoples. These works are significant as they are the most informative illustrations of a Native American society of the [[East Coast of the United States|Eastern seaboard]]; the surviving original watercolors are now preserved in the [[print room]] of the [[British Museum]].

In 1587, White became governor of [[Sir Walter Raleigh]]'s failed attempt at a permanent settlement on Roanoke Island, known to history as the "[[Roanoke Colony|Lost Colony]]". This was the earliest effort to establish a permanent [[British Empire|English colony]] in the [[New World]]. White's granddaughter [[Virginia Dare]] was the first English child born in North America. In late 1587, White returned to England for supplies. The return expedition was delayed due to various reasons, including the [[Spanish Armada]]. Governor White finally returned to Roanoke Island in August 1590, but found the colony had been long deserted.

After the failure of the colony, White retired to Raleigh's [[Estate (land)|estate]]s in Ireland, reflecting upon the "evils and unfortunate events" which had ruined his hopes in America, though never giving up hope that his daughter and granddaughter were still alive.

==Early life==
John White's exact date of birth is unknown but it seems likely he was born sometime in the 1530s–1540s.<ref name="ncpedia">[http://ncpedia.org/biography/governors/white John White at ncpedia.org ]. Retrieved March 2011</ref> White is known to have attended church in the parish of [[St. Martin Ludgate]] in [[London]].<ref name="ncpedia"/> In 1566, he married Tomasyn Cooper; with whom he had a son, Thomas, who died young, and a daughter, [[Eleanor Dare|Eleanor]].<ref name="ncpedia"/> Little is known of White's training as an artist but it is possible that he apprenticed as an illustrator under a London master.<ref name="ncpedia"/>

==Career==
[[File:North carolina algonkin-rituale02.jpg|left|thumb|Watercolour by John White of [[Roanoke (tribe)|Roanoke]] Indians]]
In the late sixteenth century, efforts to establish an English colony in the New World began to gain momentum, and White soon became an enthusiastic supporter.<ref name="ncpedia"/> In 1577, White may have accompanied [[Martin Frobisher]] to search for precious metals and a northwest passage to Asia on his [[Baffin Island]] and [[Greenland]] expeditions.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|title=Encyclopedia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-White|date=2020|website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref> Despite this, White was not mentioned by name. His drawings from this period were of the lands and people encountered on the voyage.<ref name="auto"/> In 1585, White accompanied the expedition led by Sir [[Ralph Lane]] to attempt to found the first English colony in North America.<ref name="ncpedia"/> White was sent by [[Sir Walter Raleigh]] as Sir [[Richard Grenville]]'s artist-illustrator on his first voyage to the [[New World]]; working closely with the scientist [[Thomas Harriot]], he served as mapmaker and artist to the expedition, which encountered considerable difficulties and returned to England in 1586.<ref name="ncpedia"/><ref name="Moran2014">{{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Hariot_Thomas_ca_1560-1621#start_entry|title=Thomas Hariot (ca. 1560–1621)|last=Moran|first=Michael|date=2014|website=Encyclopedia Virginia|access-date=23 October 2020}}</ref>

==Gentleman artist==
In 1585, White had been commissioned to "draw to life" the inhabitants of the New World and their surroundings.<ref name="Smithsonian">[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/Brave-New-World.htmlin Article in Smithsonian Magazine by Abigal Tucker, December 2008]. Retrieved March 2011</ref> During White's time at Roanoke Island, he completed numerous watercolor drawings of the surrounding landscape and native peoples. These works are significant as they are the most informative illustrations of a Native American society of the [[East Coast of the United States|Eastern Seaboard]], and predate the first body of "discovery voyage art" created in the late 18th century by the artists who sailed with Captain [[James Cook]]. They represent the sole-surviving visual record of the native inhabitants of America encountered by England's first settlers.<ref name="Smithsonian"/>

White's enthusiasm for [[Watercolor painting|watercolor]] was unusual – most contemporary painters preferred to use [[Oil painting|oil-based paints]].<ref name="Milton, p199">Milton, p. 199</ref> White's watercolors would soon become a sensation in Europe; it was not long before the watercolors were [[engraving|engraved]] by the [[Flemish people|Flemish]] master engraver [[Theodor de Bry]].<ref name="Milton, p200">Milton, p. 200</ref> Through the medium of print, the illustrations became widely known and distributed; they were published in 1590 under the title ''America''.<ref name="Milton, p200"/>

==Governor of the Roanoke colony==
{{Main|Lost Colony}}
[[File:Sir Walter Raleigh.jpg|thumb|right|White's patron, [[Sir Walter Raleigh]]]]
[[File:Roanoke map 1584.JPG|thumb|right|White's sketch of the Roanoke area {{Circa}} 1584]]

After Lane's colonists returned to England in 1586, [[Sir Walter Raleigh]], who held the [[land patent]] for the proposed English [[colony of Virginia]], tasked White with the job of organising a new settlement in the [[Chesapeake Bay]] area, one which would be self-sustaining and which would include women and children.<ref name="ncpedia"/> During 1586, White was able to persuade 113 prospective colonists to join Raleigh's expedition, including his daughter [[Eleanor Dare|Eleanor]] and his son-in-law [[Ananias Dare]], recently married at [[St Bride's Church]] in [[Fleet Street]].<ref name="ncpedia"/><ref>Morgan, p. 77</ref> His efforts did not go unrewarded; on 7 January 1587, Raleigh named "John White of London Gentleman, to be the chief Governor" of the new colony.<ref name="ncpedia"/> White, with thirteen others, were incorporated under the name of "The Governor and Assistants of the Cities of Raleigh of Virginia".<ref>[[Queen's College, Oxford]], MSS 137](a). On the occasion, he was granted arms with eight-quarters. The 1st contained his new arms: Ermine, on a canton Gules, a fusil Argent. The 2nd contained the ancient arms of White of Truro. The remaining six quarters contained the arms of some of his “Assistants”. This marshalling, other than being unorthodox, produced minute detail unsuitable for the [[New World Tapestry]] canvas. Therefore White (ancient) of Truro is depicted (Poptarts of 1587).</ref>

===Arrival at Roanoke===
[[File:Coat of Arms of John White.svg|125px|thumb|left|Coat of Arms of Governor John White]]
In May 1587, White's colonists sailed for Virginia in the ''Lion''. They were guided by the Portuguese navigator [[Simon Fernandes|Simão Fernandes]], the same pilot who had led the 1585 expedition and who was given by his fellow sailors the unhappy nickname of "the swine."<ref>Milton, p. 201</ref> The settlers' chosen destination was not Roanoke but the [[Chesapeake Bay]]. But, upon reaching Roanoke in late July,<ref name="ncpedia"/> and allowing the colonists to disembark, Fernandez refused to let White's men re-board the ship.

According to White's journal, Fernandez's deputy "called to the sailors in the [[Full-rigged pinnace|pinesse]], charging them not to bring any of the planters [settlers] back again, but leave them on the island."<ref name="Milton, p.215">Milton, p. 215</ref> Faced with what amounted to a [[mutiny]] by his navigator, White appears to have backed down and acquiesced in this sudden change of plan.<ref name="Milton, p.215"/> Despite the governor's protests, Fernandez held that "summer was farre spent [summer was almost over], wherefore hee would land all the planters in no other place."<ref>Milton, p. 216</ref>

This second colony at Roanoke set about repairing the structures left behind in 1585.<ref name="ncpedia"/> They also searched for the fifteen men left behind by the previous expedition, but found only bones.<ref>Milton, p. 217</ref> From an early stage there were tensions with the local [[Algonquian peoples|Algonquian]] Indians,<ref name="ncpedia"/> though initially things went well. White quickly made contact with friendly natives led by Chief [[Manteo (Croatan)|
Manteo]], who explained to him that the lost fifteen had been killed by hostile [[Secotan]], [[Aquascogoc]], and [[Dasamongueponke]] warriors,<ref>Milton, p. 218</ref> choosing a time and place of attack "of great advantage to the savages."<ref>Milton, p. 220</ref>
On 8 August 1587, White led a dawn attack on the Dasamongueponkes that went disastrously wrong. White and his soldiers entered the Dasamongueponke village in the morning "so early that it was yet dark,"<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=A_T0GyxK9DYC&q=Dasamonquepeucbut&pg=PA131 Miller, Lee, p. 131]. Retrieved April 2011</ref> but mistakenly attacked a group of hitherto friendly Indians, killing one and wounding many. "We were deceived," wrote White in his journal, "for the savages were our friends." Henceforth, relations with the local tribes would steadily deteriorate.<ref>Milton, p. 235</ref>

===Virginia Dare===
[[File:Baptism of Virginia Dare.jpeg|thumb|right|200px|''Baptism of [[Virginia Dare]]'', [[wood-engraving]], 1880]]

On 18 August 1587, there was happier news – White became a grandfather. "Eleanor, daughter to the governor and wife to Ananias Dare, one of the assistants, was delivered of a daughter in Roanoke."<ref name="Milton, p.239">Milton, p. 239</ref> The child was healthy and "was christened there the Sunday following, and because this child was the first Christian born in Virginia,<ref>Modern-day North Carolina</ref> she was named Virginia."<ref name="ncpedia"/><ref name="Milton, p.239"/>

===White returns to England===
However, the colonists' food supplies soon began to grow short, and in late 1587 the settlers pressed White to return to England "for the better and sooner obtaining of supplies, and other necessaries."<ref name="ncpedia"/><ref>Milton, p. 240</ref> Because the colony had been deposited in Roanoke rather than the [[Chesapeake Bay|Chesapeake]] area, supply ships from England ignorant of Fernandez's change of plan would most likely not land in Roanoke at all, and the settlement might not survive the coming winter.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=A_T0GyxK9DYC&dq=Dasamonquepeuc&pg=PA131 Miller, Lee, p. 132]. Retrieved April 2011</ref> White was reluctant to abandon his colony, anxious that his enemies in England "would not spare to slander [him] falsely" should he leave,<ref name="Milton, p.241">Milton, p. 241</ref> and worried that his "stuff and goods might be spoiled and most of it pilfered away."<ref name="Milton, p.241"/> Eventually the colonists agreed to stand surety for White's belongings and he was prevailed upon to sail, "much against his will," to seek help.<ref>Milton, p. 243</ref>

Misfortune struck White's return to England from the beginning. The anchor of the [[flyboat]] on which White was quartered could not be raised, and many crew members were severely injured during the attempt.<ref>Milton, p. 244</ref> Worse, their journey home was delayed by "scarce and variable winds" followed by "a storm at the north-east," and many sailors starved or died of scurvy.<ref>Milton, p. 245</ref> On 16 October 1587 the desperate crew, at last, landed in [[Ard na Caithne|Smerwicke]], in the west of Ireland, and White was finally able to make his way back to [[Southampton]].<ref>Milton, p. 246</ref>

===Amir ===
[[File:English Ships and the Spanish Armada, August 1588 RMG BHC0262.jpg|thumb|The invincible [[Spanish Armada]], later proved to be vincible]]

Further bad news awaited White on his return to England. Just two weeks previously [[Queen Elizabeth I]] had issued a general "stay of shipping," preventing any ships from leaving English shores.<ref name="Milton, p.247">Milton, p. 247</ref> The reason was the "invincible fleetes made by the King of Spain, joined with the power of the Pope, for the invading of England" – the [[Spanish Armada]].<ref name="Milton, p.247"/> White's patron [[Sir Walter Raleigh]] attempted to provide ships to rescue the colony but he was over-ruled by the Queen.<ref>Milton, p. 248</ref>

===''Brave'' and the ''Roe''===
[[File:Kalamar Nycel Lewes DE.jpg|right|thumb|175px|A modern replica of an early 17th-century [[Full-rigged pinnace|pinnace]]]]

In early 1588, White was able to scrape together a pair of small [[Full-rigged pinnace|pinnace]]s, the ''Brave'' and the ''Roe'', which were unsuitable for military service and could be spared for the expedition to Roanoke. Unluckily for White, they were barely suited for the Atlantic crossing and the governor endured further bad luck as the ships were intercepted by French [[Pirate|pirates]], who "playd extreemely upon us with their shot," hitting White (to his great embarrassment) "in the side of the buttoke."<ref>Milton, p. 249.</ref> White and his crew escaped to England with their lives, but "they robbed us of all our victuals, powder, weapons and provision," and the journey to Virginia had to be abandoned.<ref name="Milton, p.250">Milton, p. 250</ref> By this stage White appears to have formed the view that he was born under "an unlucky star."<ref name="Milton, p.250"/>

===Return to the "Lost Colony"===
{{further|Watts' West Indies and Virginia expedition}}
Finally, in March 1590, with the immediate threat of a Spanish invasion by now abated, Raleigh was able to equip White's rescue expedition. Two ships, the ''Hopewell'' and the ''Moonlight'' set sail for Roanoke.<ref>Milton, p. 257</ref> The return journey was prolonged by extensive [[privateering]] and several sea battles, and White's eventual landing at the [[Outer Banks]] was further imperiled by poor weather.<ref>Milton, p. 260</ref> The landing was hazardous and was beset by bad conditions and adverse currents. During the landing on Roanoke, of the mariners who accompanied White, "seven of the chiefest were drowned."<ref>Milton, p. 262</ref>

Governor White finally reached Roanoke Island on 18 August 1590, his granddaughter's third birthday, but he found his colony had been long deserted. The buildings had collapsed and "the houses [were] taken downe."<ref name="Milton p.265">Milton, p. 265</ref> The few clues about the colonists' whereabouts included the letters "CRO" carved into a tree, and the word "[[Croatoan Island|CROATOAN]]" carved on a post of the fort.<ref name="Milton p.265"/> Croatoan was the name of a nearby [[Croatoan Island|island]] (likely modern-day [[Hatteras Island]]) and of a local tribe of Native Americans. Roanoke Island was originally not a planned location for the colony and the idea of moving elsewhere had been discussed. Before the Governor's departure, he and the colonists had agreed that a message would be carved into a tree if they had moved and would include an image of a [[Maltese Cross]] if the decision was made by force.<ref name="Milton p.265"/> White found no such cross and was hopeful that his family were still alive.<ref name="Milton p.266">Milton, p. 266</ref>

True to their word, the colonists had looked after White's belongings, which had been carefully buried and hidden. However, local Indians had looted the hiding place, and White found "about the place many of my things spoyled and broken, and my books torne from the covers, the frames of some of my pictures and mappes rotten and spoyled with rayne, and my armour almost eaten through with rust."<ref>Milton p. 267</ref>

Due to the weather, which "grew to be fouler and fouler,"<ref name="Milton, p.268">Milton, p. 268</ref> White had to abandon the search of adjacent islands for the colonists. The ship's captain had already lost three anchors and could not afford the loss of another.<ref name="Milton, p.268"/> White returned to [[Plymouth]], England, on 24 October 1590.

The loss of the colony was a personal tragedy for White, from which he never fully recovered. He would never return to the New World, and in a letter to [[Richard Hakluyt]] he wrote that he must hand over the fate of the colonists and his family "to the merciful help of the Almighty, whom I most humbly beseech to helpe and comfort them."<ref name="Milton, p.268"/>

==Later life==
Little is known of White's life after the failure of the Roanoke Colony. He lived in [[Plymouth]],<ref>as the will of his twin brother Robert White bequeathing him property in the city of Plymouth, referred to him as "of Plymouth"</ref><ref>Transcripts of Robert White's will are in the same MSS [Queen's College, Oxford, MSS 137]; and in the New World Tapestry Library (as is the New World Tapestry) at the British Empire & Commonwealth Museum, Bristol, England.</ref> and also owned a house at Newtown, Kylmore (Kilmore, [[County Cork]]), Ireland. He appears to have been in Ireland living on the estates of Sir Walter Raleigh, making maps of land for Raleigh's tenants, and reflecting upon the "evils and unfortunate events" which had ruined his hopes in the New World, though never giving up hope that his daughter and granddaughter were still alive.<ref>Milton, p. 269</ref>

White's year of death is unclear and not widely known.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=John White (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/people/johnwhite.htm#:~:text=After%20the%20failure%20of%20the,possibly%20in%20Ireland,%20around%201606 |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}}</ref> The last surviving document related to White is a letter he wrote from Ireland in 1593 to the publisher of the [[old master print|prints]] of his Roanoke drawings. However, a record from May 1606 that Bridget White, who was appointed estate administrator for her brother "John White", may refer to him. {{citation needed|date=March 2011}} Furthermore, another two documents give his year of death as 1606.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=American Journeys Background on The Fourth Voyage Made to Virginia in the Yere 1587 |url=https://www.americanjourneys.org/aj-037/summary/ |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=www.americanjourneys.org}}</ref>

==Legacy==
White is chiefly remembered today for his watercolors, which represent a unique record of 16th-century [[Algonquian peoples|Algonquian society]]. All of White's surviving works are now in the [[print room]] of the [[British Museum]].

In 2007, the British Museum placed the entire group of John White's watercolors on public display under the collection, "''A New World: England's First View of America''." There are more than seventy watercolors in the travelling exhibit. There were plans to show the collection at the [[North Carolina Museum of History]].<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.historyisfun.org/pdf/John-White-Watercolors/ANewWorld.pdf|title= A New World: England's First View of America|publisher=The British Museum|access-date=15 July 2012}}</ref>

The [[World War II]] [[Liberty ship]] {{SS|John White}} was named in his honor.

==In popular culture==
* In the [[American Horror Story: Roanoke|sixth season]] of ''[[American Horror Story]]'', White is mentioned in the [[Chapter 3 (American Horror Story)|third episode]]. [[Kathy Bates]] portrays [[List of American Horror Story: Roanoke characters#The Butcher|Tomasyn "The Butcher" White]], his fictional wife and regent-governor while he is away getting supplies from England. [[Wes Bentley]] portrays John and Tomasyn's son, [[List of American Horror Story: Roanoke characters#Ambrose White|Ambrose]].{{secondary source needed|date=August 2020}}

==Gallery==
<gallery perrow="7">
File:North carolina algonkin-dorf.jpg|Watercolour painted by John White
File:North carolina algonkin-essen.jpg|Engraving by Theodor de Bry after a watercolour painted by John White
File:North carolina algonkin-essen01.jpg|Clay pot of North Carolina Algonquins used for boiling.
File:North carolina algonkin-essen02.jpg|Equipment for curing fish used by the North Carolina Algonquins.
File:North carolina algonkin-kleidung01.jpg|Woman of the Secotan-Indians in North Carolina. Watercolour painted by John White in 1585.
File:North carolina algonkin-kleidung02.jpg|Man of the Secotan Indians in North Carolina. Watercolour painted by John White in 1585.
File:North carolina algonkin-kleidung04.jpg|Mother and child of the Secotan Indians in North Carolina. Watercolour painted by John White in 1585.
File:North carolina algonkin-kleidung08.jpg|Warrior of the Secotan Indians in North Carolina. Watercolour painted by John White in 1585.
File:North carolina algonkin-rituale01.jpg|Ceremony of Secotan warriors in North Carolina. Watercolour painted by John White in 1585.
File:North carolina algonkin-fischen.jpg|Engraving by Theodor de Bry after a watercolour painted by John White
File:An old man in his winter clothes (1590).jpg|An aged Native man from Pomeiock, full-length portrait, facing front, wearing winter garment; landscape scene with village in the background.
</gallery>

{{clear}}

==See also==
* [[List of colonial governors of North Carolina]]
* [[List of colonial governors of Virginia]]
* [[List of colonists at Roanoke]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Dulac, Anne-Valérie, "Fish in Watercolour : John White’s Lively Specimens", ''RursuSpicae'' (2022), http://journals.openedition.org/rursuspicae/2198 ; {{DOI|10.4000/rursuspicae.2198}}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=A_T0GyxK9DYC&dq=Aquascogoc&pg=PA93 Miller, Lee, ''Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony'']. Retrieved April 2011
* Milton, Giles, ''Big Chief Elizabeth – How England's Adventurers Gambled and Won the New World'', Hodder & Stoughton, London (2000){{ISBN?}}
* Morgan, Dewi, ''Phoenix of Fleet St – 2,000 years of St Bride's'', Charles Knight & Co., London (1973), {{ISBN|0-85314-196-7}}
* Sloan, Kim, "A New World: England's First View of America", University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill (2007), {{ISBN|978-0-8078-3125-0}}
* Tucker, Abigail, [http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/Brave-New-World.html "Sketching the Earliest Views of the New World"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703075024/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/Brave-New-World.html |date=3 July 2013 }}, [[Smithsonian (magazine)|''Smithsonian'']] magazine, December 2008

==External links==
{{commons category|John White (colonist and artist)}}
* [http://ncpedia.org/biography/governors/white NCpedia biography of John White]. Retrieved March 2011
* [https://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/news_and_press_releases/press_releases/2007/a_new_world.aspx British Museum article on John White and his paintings]. Retrieved March 2011
* [http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/stantonsj.htm The Church of Stanton St John, Suffolk] This link includes a map.
* [http://www.virtualjamestown.org/images/white_debry_html/introduction.html John white drawings and Theodore DeBry engravings from Virtual Jamestown]. Retrieved March 2011
* [http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/Our_Country_Vol_1/roanokei_dc.html Account of the Roanoke settlements]. Retrieved April 2011

{{Roanoke Colony}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Ralph Lane|Sir Ralph Lane]]|as={{Nowrap|Governor of Roanoke (Virginia)}}}}
{{s-ttl|title={{Nowrap|[[Governor]] of [[Roanoke Colony|Raleigh (Virginia)]]}}|years=1587–1590}}
{{s-non|reason=Office abolished}}
{{s-end}}
{{Portal bar|Art|Biography|England|Maps|North America}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, John}}
[[Category:16th-century births]]
[[Category:1590s deaths]]
[[Category:16th-century English artists]]
[[Category:English cartographers]]
[[Category:English male artists]]
[[Category:English surveyors]]
[[Category:People of the Roanoke Colony]]
[[Category:English scientific illustrators]]
[[Category:16th-century English cartographers]]

← Previous revision		Revision as of 17:59, 15 June 2025
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	\| birth_place = [[London]], England		\| birth_place = [[London]], England
	\| death_date = {{circa}} 1593 (aged {{circa}} 54)		\| death_date = {{circa}} 1593 (aged {{circa}} 54)
	\| patrons = [[~~Sir~~ Walter Raleigh]]		\| patrons = Sir [[Walter Raleigh]]
	\| spouse = {{marriage\|Tomasyn Cooper\|1566}}		\| spouse = {{marriage\|Tomasyn Cooper\|1566}}
	\| occupation = {{hlist\|Colonial governor\|explorer\|artist\|mapmaker}}		\| occupation = {{hlist\|Colonial governor\|explorer\|artist\|mapmaker}}
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	During his time at Roanoke Island, he made several watercolor sketches of the surrounding landscape and the native [[Algonquian peoples\|Algonkin]] peoples. These works are significant as they are the most informative illustrations of a Native American society of the [[East Coast of the United States\|Eastern seaboard]]; the surviving original watercolors are now preserved in the [[print room]] of the [[British Museum]].		During his time at Roanoke Island, he made several watercolor sketches of the surrounding landscape and the native [[Algonquian peoples\|Algonkin]] peoples. These works are significant as they are the most informative illustrations of a Native American society of the [[East Coast of the United States\|Eastern seaboard]]; the surviving original watercolors are now preserved in the [[print room]] of the [[British Museum]].

	In 1587, White became governor of [[~~Sir~~ Walter Raleigh]]'s failed attempt at a permanent settlement on Roanoke Island, known to history as the "[[Roanoke Colony\|Lost Colony]]". This was the earliest effort to establish a permanent [[British Empire\|English colony]] in the [[New World]]. White's granddaughter [[Virginia Dare]] was the first English child born in North America. In late 1587, White returned to England for supplies. The return expedition was delayed due to various reasons, including the [[Spanish Armada]]. Governor White finally returned to Roanoke Island in August 1590, but found the colony had been long deserted.		In 1587, White became governor of Sir [[Walter Raleigh]]'s failed attempt at a permanent settlement on Roanoke Island, known to history as the "[[Roanoke Colony\|Lost Colony]]". This was the earliest effort to establish a permanent [[British Empire\|English colony]] in the [[New World]]. White's granddaughter [[Virginia Dare]] was the first English child born in North America. In late 1587, White returned to England for supplies. The return expedition was delayed due to various reasons, including the [[Spanish Armada]]. Governor White finally returned to Roanoke Island in August 1590, but found the colony had been long deserted.

	After the failure of the colony, White retired to Raleigh's [[Estate (land)\|estate]]s in Ireland, reflecting upon the "evils and unfortunate events" which had ruined his hopes in America, though never giving up hope that his daughter and granddaughter were still alive.		After the failure of the colony, White retired to Raleigh's [[Estate (land)\|estate]]s in Ireland, reflecting upon the "evils and unfortunate events" which had ruined his hopes in America, though never giving up hope that his daughter and granddaughter were still alive.

	==Early life==		==Early life==
	John White's exact date of birth is unknown but it seems likely he was born sometime in the 1530s–1540s.<ref name="ncpedia">[http://ncpedia.org/biography/governors/white John White at ncpedia.org ]. Retrieved March 2011</ref> White is known to have attended church in the parish of [[St. Martin Ludgate]] in [[London]].<ref name="ncpedia"/> In 1566, he married Tomasyn Cooper; with whom he had a son, Thomas, who died young, and a daughter, [[Eleanor Dare\|Eleanor]].<ref name="ncpedia"/> Little is known of White's training as an artist but it is possible that he apprenticed as an illustrator under a London master.<ref name="ncpedia"/>		John White's exact date of birth is unknown but it seems likely he was born sometime in the 1530s–1540s.<ref name="ncpedia">[http://ncpedia.org/biography/governors/white John White at ncpedia.org ]. Retrieved March 2011</ref> White is known to have attended church in the parish of [[St Martin, Ludgate]] in [[London]].<ref name="ncpedia"/> In 1566, he married Tomasyn Cooper; with whom he had a son, Thomas, who died young, and a daughter, [[Eleanor Dare\|Eleanor]].<ref name="ncpedia"/> Little is known of White's training as an artist but it is possible that he apprenticed as an illustrator under a London master.<ref name="ncpedia"/>

	==Career==		==Career==
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	== Further reading ==		== Further reading ==
	* Dulac, Anne-Valérie, "Fish in Watercolour : John White’s Lively Specimens", ''RursuSpicae'' (2022), http://journals.openedition.org/rursuspicae/2198 ; {{DOI\|10.4000/rursuspicae.2198}}		* Dulac, Anne-Valérie, "Fish in Watercolour : John White’s Lively Specimens", ''RursuSpicae'' (2022), http://journals.openedition.org/rursuspicae/2198 ; {{DOI\|10.4000/rursuspicae.2198}}
	* ~~[https://books.google.com/books?id=A_T0GyxK9DYC&dq=Aquascogoc&pg=PA93~~ Miller, Lee, ''Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony'']. Retrieved April 2011		* Miller, Lee, ''[[Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony]]''. Retrieved April 2011
	* Milton, Giles, ''Big Chief Elizabeth – How England's Adventurers Gambled and Won the New World'', Hodder & Stoughton, London (2000){{ISBN?}}		* Milton, Giles, ''Big Chief Elizabeth – How England's Adventurers Gambled and Won the New World'', Hodder & Stoughton, London (2000){{ISBN?}}
	* Morgan, Dewi, ''Phoenix of Fleet St – 2,000 years of St Bride's'', Charles Knight & Co., London (1973), {{ISBN\|0-85314-196-7}}		* Morgan, Dewi, ''Phoenix of Fleet St – 2,000 years of St Bride's'', Charles Knight & Co., London (1973), {{ISBN\|0-85314-196-7}}