Roanoke Hundred is a 1948 American historical novel by Inglis Fletcher and is the fifth of her twelve "Carolina Series" of novels depicting events in and around North Carolina before to the American Revolutionary War.Hass, Victor P. "Seventh, and Last, of the 'Carolina Novels.'" Omaha World-Herald Vol. 68 No. 9 p29G. 19 October 1952. Accessed 13 September 2025.
As the title would suggest, Roanoke Hundred depicts the founding of the Roanoke Colony. Its setting in 1585 makes it the earliest-set Carolina Series novel. Because of this, it is sometimes described as the first novel in the series, even though it was neither the first written nor published title.Wolverton, Jeff. Inglis Fletcher and the Art of Southern Writing. Abbeville Institute. December 5 2022. Retrieved May 17 2026.Fletcher, Inglis. Roanoke Hundred. Bantam, 1980. Retrieved May 17 2026.
Plot Sir Richard Grenville, an English landowner and cousin of Walter Raleigh, leads 108 men on a voyage to the Americas, where they establish the Roanoke Colony.O'Dell, Scott. "First English settlement in America, background for new Inglis Fletcher novel." Daily News No. 16,776 p6. October 23 2026. Retrieved May 17 2026.
Development Fletcher, whose writing process was known to include detailed research, made a research trip to England in 1947 "to get basic material for Roanoke Hundred."Brown, Aycock. "Covering The Waterfront." News & Record. Vol. LXXIV No. 67 p7 September 21 1948. Retrieved May 17 2026.Durham, Lucy Cole. "Brave Men of Carolina." Richmond Times-Dispatch October 17 1948. Retrieved May 17 2026. She traveled to Devon and Cornwall, as well as to the British Museum in London, in search of historical documentation, ultimately compiling biographical information on 75 of the 108 members of the Roanoke Colony.Mackenzie, Dewitt. "Red-Blooded Adventure: 'Roanoke Hindred' Scores." The Atlanta Constitution Vol. LXXXI No. 131 pF2. October 24 1948. Retrieved May 17 2026.
Publication Initial publication of Roanoke Hundred occurred in the fall of 1948,Brown, Aycock. "Covering The Waterfront." News & Record. Vol. LXXIV No. 67 p7 September 21 1948. Retrieved May 17 2026. including in a special signed "Carolina Edition" that was available for pre-order.Brown, Aycock. "Covering The Waterfront." News & Record. Vol. LXXIV No. 67 p7 September 21 1948. Retrieved May 17 2026. It was serialized in the Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Post-Home News, and Canada Wide Feature in 1949. It was republished in paperback by Permabooks (#P151) in 1951 and 1952. For reissues by Bantam (released in March and October 1972, October 1973, January 1976, and April 1980) it was marketed as the "first" novel in the series based on chronology.Fletcher, Inglis. Roanoke Hundred. Bantam, 1980. Retrieved May 17 2026.
Reception The novel received positive reviews, with critics commending Fletcher's ability to bring historical personages to life in her writing.B.C. "A Healthy Picture Of N. Carolina" The High Point Enterprise Vol. 65 No. 295 p3A. October 24 1948. Retrieved May 17 2026.Mitchell, Enoch L. "Richard Grenville Provides Story for 'Roanoke Hundred': Elizabethans' Language Captured In Tale Of Raleigh Colony." The Commercial Appeal Vol. 109 No. 305 SecIV p12 October 31 1948. Retrieved May 17 2026. Fletcher's depiction of Elizabethan England was praised and compared to the writings of Harrison Ainsworth.Mackenzie, Dewitt. "Red-Blooded Adventure: 'Roanoke Hindred' Scores." The Atlanta Constitution Vol. LXXXI No. 131 pF2. October 24 1948. Retrieved May 17 2026.
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