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The mystery of Roanoke endures yet another cruel twist
Andrew Lawler, 2017. Smithsonian Magazine.
Reports (7 April 2017) that X-ray fluorescence at East Carolina University, by state conservator Erik Farrell for Charles Ewen's team, found the "Kendall" signet ring from Hatteras Island to be brass with no gold or gilding, a likely mass-produced trade item; the ring had been found in 1998 by David Phelps among artifacts of 1670–1720. Mark Horton argues it could be an heirloom; Charles Heath says a stray object does not make a colony site.
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The test of the best-known Hatteras find; journalism, not a peer-reviewed report.
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Research copy, for editors and curators. The work is the publisher's, so readers are sent to it. We keep this copy so the citation can be checked if the page changes or goes.
smithsonianmag.com · fetched 29 Oct 2026
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Cited by on this site 9 records
The Lost Colony of Roanoke
MYSThe mystery article
Cite it
Lawler, A. (2017). The mystery of Roanoke endures yet another cruel twist. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/mystery-roanoke-endures-yet-another-cruel-twist-180962837/
@misc{lawler2017ring,
author = {Lawler, Andrew},
title = {The mystery of Roanoke endures yet another cruel twist},
howpublished = {Smithsonian Magazine},
year = {2017},
url = {https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/mystery-roanoke-endures-yet-another-cruel-twist-180962837/}
}TY - ELEC TI - The mystery of Roanoke endures yet another cruel twist AU - Lawler, Andrew PY - 2017 JO - Smithsonian Magazine UR - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/mystery-roanoke-endures-yet-another-cruel-twist-180962837/ ER -
Lawler, Andrew. “The mystery of Roanoke endures yet another cruel twist.” Smithsonian Magazine (2017).