List of Roman place names in Britain

Roman Britain. Map from 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica

A partial list of Roman place names in Great Britain.

This list includes only names documented from Roman times. For a more complete list including later Latin names, see List of Latin place names in Britain.

The early sources for Roman names show numerous variants and misspellings of the Latin names. Moreover, one of the principal authorities, Ptolemy, wrote in Greek so names that he records need to be transliterated back into Latin to reveal the original form.

Note that in general only one source is shown below for each name, although many of the names are recorded in more than one of the sources.

Lists

Geographic regions

Roman nameModern regionAppearance
BritanniaGreat BritainT
HiberniaIreland 

Political divisions

Roman nameEnglish translationModern approximationPeriodAppearance
Provincia BritanniaProvince of BritainEngland and Wales - included the Scottish Lowlands intermittently
CaledoniaLand of CaledoniansOriginally just an area of the Scottish Highlands, but later came to refer to most of modern ScotlandT
Britannia SuperiorUpper BritainSouthern England and Wales197 - 293
Britannia InferiorLower BritainNorthern England197 - 293
Britannia PrimaFirst BritainPossibly Wales and the West Country296 -
Britannia SecundaSecond BritainPossibly Northern England296 -
Flavia CaesariensisCaesarian province of FlaviusEnglish Midlands and East Anglia296 -
Maxima CaesariensisCaesarian province of MaximusSouth East England296 -
ValentiaLand of ValensPossibly Scottish Lowlands or WalesPossibly 5th century

Settlement names

Roman nameModern nameAppearances
Ad PontesStaines-upon-Thames
AlaunodunumMaidenhead
AnoviousBrough-on-Noe, Hope Valley, Derbyshire
Aquae ArnemetiaeBuxton, Derbyshire
Aquae SulisBath
ArdotaliaGamesley, Glossop, Derbyshire
BannaventaNorton, near Daventry, NorthamptonshireAI
CaesaromagusChelmsford, EssexAI
CalcariaTadcaster, North YorkshireAI
Calleva AtrebatumSilchesterAI
CamulodunumColchesterRC
CaromagoCramond, EdinburghRC
ClausentumBitterne, Hampshire
ClotageniumOld Kilpatrick, GlasgowRC
ConcangisChester-le-Street, County Durham
CondateNorthwich, CheshireAI
Corinium DobunnorumCirencester
CoriaCorbridge
CuriaTraprain LawP
DanumDoncaster
Deva VictrixChester
DubrisDover, EnglandAI
DurnovariaDorchester
DurocobrivisDunstableAI
DurocornoviumSwindon
DuroliponsCambridge
DurolitumLittle London, Essex
Durovernum CantiacorumCanterburyAI
DurovigutumGodmanchester
EboracumYorkP, AI
EvidenscaEast LothianRC
GarrianonumBurgh Castle
Glevum ColoniaGloucester
HortoniumHalifax
Isca DumnoniorumExeterAI
Isca AugustaCaerleon
LactodorumTowcester
LagentiumCastleford
LeodisLeeds
LetocetumWall
LindinisIlchester
Lindum ColoniaLincoln
LondiniumLondonP, AI
LuentinumPumsaint/DolaucothiP
LuguvaliumCarlisle
MaromagoMidlothianRC
MamuciumManchesterAI
MediolanumWhitchurchAI
Mediolanum(central Powys, possibly Meifod)P
Metchleynear Birmingham
MoridunumCarmarthenP
NavioSee Anavio
Noviomagus ReginorumChichester
Noviomagus CantiacorumunknownAI
OlicanaIlkleyPtolemy
Pons AeliusNewcastle
Portus FelixFiley
Portus LemanisLympneAI
PraetoriumunknownAI
Ratae CorieltauvorumLeicester
RegulbiumReculver
RutupiaeRichborough
SalinaeMiddlewich
SegontiumCaernarfon
SulloniacaeunknownAI
TrimontiumNewsteadP
VagniacaeSpringhead
VectisIsle of Wight
Venta BelgarumWinchesterAI
Venta SilurumCaerwent
VerulamiumSt AlbansT
VinoviaBinchesterP
Viroconium CornoviorumWroxeter
VindolandaChesterholme

See also

Primary Sources

  1. AI: The Antonine Itinerary
  2. P: Ptolemy's Geography
  3. RC: The Ravenna Cosmography
  4. T: Tacitus's On the Life and Character of Julius Agricola.

References

  1. A.L.F. Rivet and Colin Smith, The place-names of Roman Britain. London, 1979 (reprinted by Book Club Associates, 1981).
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