Nothing was built by the first expedition of Amadas and Barlowe. During the second expedition under Sir Richard Grenville, three earthwork fortifications were built. These were built with the intent of protecting the English from Spanish attacks. The first English fort was begun on May 12, 1585 and abandoned on May 23, 1585. This fort is depicted in one of John White's watercolors. The fort is shown as having an enclosed camp with tents and huts, a paddock, forge, sawpit, and a .
makeshift boatyard. Simple pointed bastions and hidden entrances interrupted the long straight "curtain of walls" of the fort. .
The first settlers were largely veterans of The Irish and European Wars. Their experience would help them protect the settlement, but little else. They would be extremely poor at building a society and maintaining a good relationship with the Indians, which would be critical to the success of the colony.
Included in this expedition were the artists John White and Thomas Hariot.
Hariot collected data on plants, animals, and minerals for his "New Found Land of .
Virginia." John White made watercolor drawings of the Indians, the animal and plant life of Roanoke Island, and of the coast. These paintings are the first artistic productions of Englishmen in America.
Near the end of August 1585, Grenville returned to England for more supplies. He left one hundred seven men with Ralph Lane, as the governor of the island, so that it would remain an English colony. This group was to become the first English settlers in America. Governor Lane and his men explored the island, but Lane caused problems with the native Indians. He led his men on raids and attacked the Roanoke Indians in their village. Lane's men murdered the chief of the village. This led to increased friction with the Indians. The once friendly Indians would offer no more help to the settlers. Lane was not really concerned with the consequences of his actions because he expected Grenville to return from England shortly.