Editing Roanoke Colony (section)

===1610–1612: William Strachey===
[[William Strachey]] arrived in Jamestown, along with Gates and Machumps, in May 1610. By 1612, he had returned to England, where he wrote ''The Historie of Travaile into Virginia Britannia'', an overview of the Virginia territory.{{Sfn|Lawler|2018|pp=120–122}} He described "Peccarecamek", "Ochanahoen", "Anoeg", and "Ritanoe" in a manner consistent with Smith's map and the Virginia Council's orders to Gates. However, Strachey introduced additional details about "the slaughter at Roanoak".{{Sfn|Strachey|1612|pp= 26, 48}}

Strachey suggested that the lost colonists had spent twenty years living peacefully with a tribe beyond Powhatan territory. Wahunsenacawh, he claimed, carried out the unprovoked attack at the recommendation of his priests, shortly before the arrival of the Jamestown colonists. Based on this account, seven English – four men, two boys, and one woman – survived the assault and fled up the Chowan River. They later came under the protection of a chieftain named "Eyanoco", for whom they beat copper at "Ritanoe".{{Sfn|Strachey|1612|pp= 26, 85–86}}

''The Historie of Travaile'' never directly identifies the tribe that supposedly hosted the Roanoke colonists. However, Strachey did describe an attack against the Chesepians, in which Wahunsenacawh's priests warned him that a nation would arise in Chesapeake Bay to threaten his dominion.{{Sfn|Strachey|1612|p= 101}} It has been inferred that the colonists had relocated to Chesapeake, and both groups were massacred in the same attack.{{Sfn|Quinn|1985|pp= 367–368}}

Strachey believed that the Powhatan religion was inherently [[Theistic Satanism|Satanic]], and that the priests might literally be in communion with [[Satan]]. He advocated for England to facilitate the Powhatans' conversion to Christianity. To that end, he recommended a plan in which King James would show mercy to the Powhatan people for the massacre of the Roanoke colonists, but demand revenge upon the priests.{{Sfn|Strachey|1612|p= 83–86}} However, the London Company did not publish ''The Historie of Travaile'', which fell into obscurity until 1849.{{Sfn|Strachey|1612|pp= {{mvar|xx}} }} There is no indication that any actions were taken against Wahunsenacawh or his priests in retaliation for the alleged massacre.{{Sfn|Lawler|2018|p=123}}