Follow the Leaders

The town of Wroxeter contained a forum, a classical Roman temple, baths, aqueduct supply, a fortress and its defenses, and a lot of houses. There is a suggestion that a large municipal stone quarry was active just outside of town. Glass production was done. Access to multiple mining areas (lead, zinc, and cooper) were just northwest, into the mountains through the only land bridge available. It must have been a very active place. The key to participation in this new Roman way of life was of course Latin. It was essential to speak it to get around in this new and different complex world. The spread of Latin (practical Latin) must have been due to the army. Over time, legionary recruits tended to come from wherever citizens were found. This would be especially true around the civil settlements that were located near the legionary bases. Since our Jones family seemed to survive, some must have become "citizens" and certainly some joined the army. Thus at least part of our family would become "Romanized". You can imagine what it must have been like with more than 5,000 men spending their money (or free time) in the only town close by. It was not until around 200 AD that Roman soldiers (other than officers) were allowed to marry. Under Roman law, illegitimate children followed the social status of their mother. Thus, serving soldiers' children were citizens or non-citizens according to their mother's status. The grant of citizenship to retiring solders included the right to full legal marriage with the wives that they had at the time of their discharge from the army. The children, now being legitimate sons or daughters of Roman fathers, were Roman citizens. Thus for around 400 years our family would have gone through this type of social arrangement.

Survival

For roughly the next 400 years the descendants of Beli mawr mananged to survive the Roman invasion, the Roman military occupation, and the Roman administration. They (the Romans) came, they saw, they conquered.[As the saying goes.] Some tribal groups were devastated, some dispersed and absorbed into other tribes, and some remained on the most part unchanged. South of Hadrian's Wall, the island was placed at peace leaving the tribal groups that survived, pretty much up to their own devises. The tribal groups north of Hadrian's Wall were left alone to continue to cause trouble for those below.

It was during this time that cities were first introduced into the tribal mentality. Large military forts and stations were requied to keep the peace, and many of the tribal groups settled around or near to these establishments. Stone structures, temples, public baths, amphitheatres, roads, mail delivery, statues, and all kinds of new things were previewed for the first time by many in my Jones family. The family groups were able to leave their hillforts behind and move into a new environment. Cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and horses must have been a major source of livelihood. It is during this time that my Jones family must have established their land settlements along the boarder of Roman control. They seem to have opportunity to settle land along a north to south path
connecting the River Dee and the River Severn. For us, the major city of Roman occupation was Wroxeter (in Salop)which contained a forum, baths, and aqueduct. It is this area that my Jones family came to occupy.

Several references are helpful:

Scullard, H. Roman Britain, Outpost of The Empire. Thames and Hudson, Ltd, London. 1979.
Bedoyere, G. Hadrian's Wall, History & Guide. Tempus Publishing Ltd.,Gloucestershire. 1998.
Jones, B., Mattingly, D. An Atlas of Roman Britain. Oxbow Books, Oxford. 1990.
Schama, S. A History of Britain, At The Edge of The World? 3500 B.C. - 1603 A.D., talk miramax books, NY. 2000.
Salway, P. The Oxford Illustrated History of Roman Britain. Oxford University Press, 1993.