Raleigh (Native American)

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Raleigh (died 2 April 1589) was a Native American who was among the first to be brought to England from America in the late 16th century. He lived with Sir Richard Grenville in Bideford and became the first Native American recorded to convert to Christianity and to be buried in England, before Pocahontas.

Grenville captured Raleigh after a skirmish on Roanoke Island in 1586 and brought him to Bideford. He may have been one of three Native Americans captured, with the others escaping. He was described as a Wynganditoian and was baptized at Saint Mary’s Church in Bideford on 27 March 1588.

The origin of the name Raleigh is debated. Some say it came from a word Wingandacon spoken by a savage to mean “you wear good clothes,” and Walter Raleigh later corrected the place name. It’s unlikely Raleigh was from the friendly Hatteras led by Manteo; he probably belonged to a tribe allied with Wanchese.

little is known about Raleigh or why Grenville brought him to England. Grenville may have planned another voyage to America and hoped Raleigh’s local knowledge would help.

Raleigh died of influenza in Grenville’s house on 2 April 1589 and was buried in the churchyard of Saint Mary’s Church, Bideford, on 7 April. He was the first Native American to convert to Christianity and to have a resting place in England. A Bodleian Library record from 1792 says he was buried in the churchyard, not the church crypt, and, since the church was rebuilt in the 1860s, his unmarked grave probably remains there.