OSMap: LR92
Type: Roman Fort, Minor Settlement.
SE (13) to CATARACTONIVM (Catterick, North Yorkshire)
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NGRef: NZ0813 OSMap: LR92 Type: Roman Fort, Minor Settlement. |
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W (5½) to LAVATRIS (Bowes, Durham) SE (13) to CATARACTONIVM (Catterick, North Yorkshire) | |
There are ten Latin inscriptions recorded on stone in the R.I.B. for the Greta Bridge fort and settlement; four altarstones, two building-stones and four tombstones. In addition, a Roman milestone or honorific pillar has been recovered from the roadside near the settlement. The texts of all these stones are shown and translated below.
| DEΛE NYMPHΛE NEINE BRICΛ ET IΛNVARIΛ FIL LIBENTES EX VOTO SOLVERVNT |
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| "To the goddess the nymph Neine, Brica and Januaria her daughter, freely [set this up], the result of a vow fulfilled." (RIB 744; altarstone) |
There are four Roman altarstones from Greta Bridge, all recovered during the 18th century. The first to be discovered was an altar dedicated to a local nymph found in 1702 near the centre of the fort but unfortunately now lost (RIB 744). In 1727 an altarstone to an unknown god was found just east of the confluence of the Greta with the Tees about ¼-mile east of Rokeby, within the ruins of a shrine (RIB 745), now also. Finally, in 1763 two altarstones to the god Mars were reported, probably originating from Greta Bridge but possibly from the fort at Birdoswald, both now kept at Rokeby Hall (RIB 742 et 743).
| ONI RTS SEI ...ELLINVS B F COS PROVINCIE SVPERIOR V S L L M |
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| "[...]ellinus, Beneficiarius to the consular governor of the superior province [of Britain], willingly, freely and deservedly fulfilling a vow." (RIB 745; altarstone) |
| DEO MARTI ENEMNOGENVS ARAM POSVIT VOTVM SOLVIT PRO SE ET SVIS M | DEO MARTI |
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| "For the god Mars, Enemnogenus has placed this altar in deserved fulfillment of a vow, for himself and his family." | "For the god Mars" |
| (RIB 742; sandstone altar; restored) | (RIB 743; altar) |
| IMPP CAESS L SEP SEVERO PIO PERT ET M AVR ANTONINO PIO AVGG ET [P SEPT GETAE]¹ NOB CAES SVB CVRA L ALFENI SENECIONIS LEG EORVM PR PR |
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| "For the emperors, the August Caesars, Lucius Septimius Severus Pius Pertinax and Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius, and [Publius Septimius Geta], noble Caesar, under the supervision of Lucius Alfenus Senecio, their pro-praetorian legate." (RIB 746; sandstone ansate slab; dated: AD205-8) |
Two building inscriptions have been recovered from Greta Bridge, both discovered in 1792 near the north gateway of the fort; an ansate slab dated to the beginning of the 3rd century, now in the Bowes Museum (RIB 746); also part of an inscribed slab, now lost (RIB 747).
| ...IING POSI ...HOEVMOLLINI ...ILABS SVB CVRA ...> LEG VI VIC ...O ST VRBANVS ...PERIORIS ...CITRA ...EM |
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| "[...] collapsed, under the direction of [...] centurion of the Sixth 'Victorious' Legion [...] Ostorius? Urbanus [... governor? of Britannia Su]perior [...] within [...]" (RIB 747; right side of slab) |
| D M S //MΛTIEREIVS VIXIT... |
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| "To the shades of the departed Matiereius who lived ..." (RIB 751; tombstone with bust) |
Four tombstones have been recovered from the area, three of them just north-east of the fort in 1763 and another which surfaced in 1873 somewhere at Greta Bridge. The texts of all these stones have been preserved by antiquarians but their physical remains are now lost.
| Inscription | Togo-Translation | RIB |
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| D M AVRELIVS ROMVL... VS EMERITVS EX DEC VIXIT ANNIS LX | "To the shades of the departed Aurelius Romulianus? a retired veteran soldier, an ex decurion who lived for sixty years." | 748 |
| ...VICI... AVRELIAE ROMANA ET SABINA FILIE PATRI PIENTISSIMO ET RARISSIMO FACIENDVM CVR MRI CARINIMORRFMPIA | "...of the town... Aurelia Romana and Sabina her sister oversaw the making of this for their most exceptional and dutiful father ..." | 749 |
| D M S SALVIΛ DONΛTΛ VIXSIT ΛN VIII M I | "To the shades of the departed Salvia Donata who lived eight years one month." | 750 |
| IMPP DD N GALLO ET VOLVSIANO AVGG |
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| "For the emperors our lords Gallus and Volusianus¹ the Augusti." (RIB 2279; milestone; dated: AD251-253) |
