The Jamestown[1]<span> settlement in the </span>Colony of Virginia<span> was the first permanent </span>English settlement<span> in the Americas. </span>William Kelso<span> writes that Jamestown "is where the </span>British Empire<span> began".</span>[2]<span> It was established by the </span>Virginia Company of London<span> as "James Fort" on May 4, 1607 (</span>O.S.<span>; May 14, 1607 </span>N.S.),[3]<span> and was considered permanent after brief abandonment in 1610. It followed several failed attempts, including the </span>Lost Colony of Roanoke<span>. Jamestown served as the capital of the colony of Virginia for 83 years, from 1616 until 1699.</span>
