The Villas

      Moving about in a brand new world took an abundance of caution, and a lot of adjustments. Tacitus [55 AD-117 AD] writes:

      "The Britons themselves bear cheerfully the conscription, the taxes, and the other burdens imposed on them by the Empire, if there be no oppression. Of this they are impatient; they are reduced to subjection, not as yet to slavery." [Mellor (ed.), p.400]

      Wow, not as yet to slavery, but more like subjection! The definition is one under authority, and it was the Roman military administration that dished out the authority. By the time of Tacitus, the Island was settled with all kinds of rectangular structures called Villas. The Legions had produced thousands of retirees, and many decided to settle down with their families about them. The following map shows the distribution of the Roman Villas as discovered. [Jones and Mattingly, p.241]

         The round dark circles represent the Villas, and their geographic locations. The orange line shows the demarcation along central Britain.  To the east, The Romans seemed to feel safe enough to settle down and live their lives. To the west, and northwest of this orange line, my Celtic ancestors hid out in the hills. The Dee and Severn rivers are outlined in blue, and the land bridge between. My Celtic world (the subjected) exchanged their salt, iron, meat, bread, and all things needed by the Romans (the authority). The Romanization of my Celtic ancestors would be dramatically different on both sides of the orange line.

      Here again is the map which shows the Celtic tribes on the western side of the orange line. My direct Celtic (Jones) kin groups, the Deceangli (Vale of Clwyd and Dee) and the Cornovii (the Shopshire plain) are positioned.

      Deva (Chester) was the main authority for my Deceangli, and Wroxeter for my Cornovii ancestors. Not many Villas here!