Dying and Surviving in Virginia The English settlement in the land named "Virginia" did not begin in Jamestown but in the failed colonies of Roanoke in the late 1500s. After abandoning the settlement in Roanoke, the English settlers settled in Jamestown in 1607 where lives in the early years were notably unsuccessful. In 1584, the English settlers landed on the Newfoundland called Roanoke which was originally inhabited by the Carolina Algonquian Indians. During their several attempts to colonize this land, there were many troubles and difficulties which became an obstruct to their success. First of all, Roanoke was newly found a