RVTVNIVM

Minor Romano-British Settlement

Harcourt Park, Shropshire

NGRef: SJ5525 OSMap: LR126 Type: Minor Settlement
Roads
N (10) to MEDIOLANVM S (10) to VIROCONIVM CORNOVIORVM

The only classical reference for the Roman name of this settlement occurs in the Antonine Itinerary of the late-second century. Iter II of this work is entitled "the route from the Wall to Portus Ritupis", and details the somewhat circituous 501 mile journey from Hadrian's Wall to the Channel port of Richborough. In the middle of this itinerary is a station named Rutunium, located 12 miles from Mediolanum (Whitchurch, Shropshire) and 11 miles from Viroconium (Wroxeter, Shropshire).

The only piece of substantial evidence is a Roman milestone, which was found a little to the north of the suspected Rutunium settlement site, at Moston Pool (SJ5527). There may have been a native Celtic settlement on this site before the Romano-British era, but its position in fields frequently flooded is dubious.

See: Historical Map and Guide - Roman Britain by the Ordnance Survey (3rd, 4th & 5th eds., 1956, 1994 & 2001);
The Roman Inscriptions of Britain by R.G. Collingwood and R.P. Wright (Oxford 1965);
All English translations, including any inherent mistakes, are my own.

This page was last modified: