Portugese Explorers
The Portugese Theory is very similar to the Norse Settlement Theory in that both use the Dighton Rock for proof. During the early part of the 20th Century, when Edmund Delabarre (See: Arguments Against Norse Settlement Theory) was studying the Dighton Rock, he proposed that the tower was built as a signaling beacon by the Portugese navigator Miguel Corte-Real. In 1501, Miguel's brother, Gaspar, disappeared somewhere near Newfoundland. The following year, Miguel set off in search of his brother and he too was lost. It was thought that he might have been killed during a storm at sea. However, many scholars, Delabarre included, believe that the inscriptions on Dighton Rock could have been made by Corte-Real himself. They believe that he also built the Newport Tower as a signaling beacon for anyone who may have sailed nearby. Proponents of this theory state that the placement of the fireplace and the windows toward the sea could prove that the tower was used for signaling.