Sir Walter Raleigh's short-lived English colony was the Roanoke Colony, also known as the Lost Colony. He had never actually set foot on North America, instead he sent men and families to establish the colony under the control of John White. After a while, White went back to England for more supplies expecting to be back in one year. Due to many factors, the one year turned to three years and when he arrived back in Roanoke, there was no sign of the colonists. No one knew what became of the colonists and the settlement is now known as the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island.