Staincross Common, South Yorkshire

Suspected Romano-British Shrine

NGRef: SE3209
OSMap: LR111
Type: Temple/Shrine
Roads
none

In 1782 a Roman altarstone was discovered on Staincross Common, 2 miles north of Barnsley on the north bank of the River Dearne. The stone, now lost, may represent the remains of a rural shrine. The nearest known Roman sites are the forts at Burghwallis and Castleford, which lie about 10 miles to east-north-east and to north-north-east respectively, also the fort and settlement at Templeborough which lies a similar distance to the south-south-east.

Altarstone from Staincross Common, Yorkshire
DEO MARTI PRO SALVTE D D N N IMPP AVGG
"To the god Mars¹ for the well-being of our lords the august emperors.²"
(RIB 622; altar)
  1. Mars was the Roman god of war, identified with the Greek god Ares. His two attendants were Phobos and Deimos, 'fear' and 'dread'.
  2. There is not enough information in the text to enable the names of these two emperors to be ascertained.
See: The Roman Inscriptions of Britain by R.G. Collingwood and R.P. Wright (Oxford 1965).
All translations, including any inherent mistakes, are my own.

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