The Loss of Roanoke Colony

After an animated introduction explains how England followed Spain into planting colonies in the New World, the scene moves to Elizabeth I's bedchamber in 1591. The queen lies collapsed among her scattered jewels beside a pet swan, declaring that she has been robbed, and two Yeoman guards come to investigate. What she has lost is Roanoke, the colony Sir Walter Raleigh set up so she could keep pace with King Philip of Spain; when a ship went back to check on it, the buildings were still there but every settler had vanished. Famine, disease and a misread map are all floated, along with polite advice that colonies should not be left unattended for years, while the queen blames jealous rivals and plans to name her next colony Virginia. When someone suggests informing the missing settlers' families, Elizabeth sees only a chance for them to club together and buy her a replacement.

This sketch appears in Mayflower Malarkey, an episode made to mark 400 years since the Mayflower sailed in 1620. Roanoke itself was an earlier English settlement; a supply mission in 1590 found it deserted, and what became of its colonists remains unknown.