When was the colony of Virginia founded? The Virginia Colony was founded in 1607 by John Smith and other colonists including John Rolfe backed by the London Company, at Jamestown. Named after Queen Elizabeth I of England – the “Virgin Queen”.Click to see full answer. Thereof, when was Virginia founded as a colony? May 15, 1776 Also, who founded Jamestown and why? The Virginia Company of England made a daring proposition: sail to the new, mysterious land, which they called Virginia in honor of Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, and begin a settlement. They established Jamestown, Virginia, on May 14, 1607, the first permanent British settlement in North America. Also Know, who were the first settlers in Virginia? List of Early Colonial Virginia Settlers Name of Early Settler Dates of Birth/Death Year Arrived Col. Richard Lee (c1618-1684) 1639 Col. George Mason I (1629-1686) 1652 John Rolfe (1585-1622) 1610 Capt. John Smith (1579-1631) 1607 Why did the Virginia colony fail?The attempt to colonise Virginia in 1585-86 failed. It failed for four key reasons. When setting sail, the voyage left England too late to be able to plant crops in Virginia as it wasn’t the right season to do this. Secondly the colonists were taken ill which weakened their ability to build a new life.
