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Ralph attended Oxford University
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served in the English Parliament in late 1550s and early 1560s
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Lane was serving in Queen Elizabeth I’s court, marking the beginning of a career of service to queen and country.
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Lane participated in a force that suppressed a rebellion in Scotland in 1569 where he gained accolades for his military skill.
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By the early 1570s, Lane had involved himself in maritime affairs which included a queen’s commission to seize ships in 1571.
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By the late 1570s and early 1580s, he was developing plans and offering his services in helping England struggle with Spain.
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In 1583, Lane received a commission to go to Ireland and direct the construction of forts.
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In 1585 the queen recalled Lane from Ireland and he was given command of the colony that Sir Walter Raleigh was organizing to sail to Virginia (Roanoke Island).
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In April 1585, seven ships with about 600 men under the overall command of Sir Richard Grenville left England. After a storm scattered the fleet and reduced it to five ships, the company regrouped. They arrived at the Outer Banks by June. By August, the colony had come ashore and built a fort following an invitation from the Indians. Grenville’s fleet left at the end of August after being unable to secure a good harbor.
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On June 18 or 19, 1586, a fleet led by Sir Francis Drake left Roanoke carrying the first English colonists back home.
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Lane was back in Ireland in 1592 serving as “muster master general” and “clerk of the check of the garrison” and remained in that country for the rest of his life.
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By 1601 Lane’s physical weakness had made him unfit as muster master.
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Lane died in Dublin, Ireland, in October 1603 and was buried at St. Patrick’s Church on the 28th of that month.
