Middlewich (Salinae), Cheshire . Part of the second tablet of a bronze diploma, 96 X 131 mm (0) . Part of the left-hand edge of the outer face and its full height are preserved but it is broken off about to mm to
the right of the two central binding-holes : see PL .’ . Its original size would have been c . 164 x 131 mm . Two grooves running parallel to the shorter edge on either side of the binding-holes mark where a metal box had been attached to cover the seals of witnesses . Fragments of the metallic flux for fixing this box still adhere to these grooves. Found in 1939 during the building of houses on the west side of King Street, Middlewich together with fragments of samian ware and Roman coarse pottery. Grosvenor Museum, Chester.
[IMP. CAESAR, DIVI NERVAE F(ILIUS), NERVA TRAIANUS AUGUSTUS GERMANICUS DACICUS, PONTIF(EX) MAXIMUS, TRIBUNIC(IA) POTESTAT(E) VIIII, IMP(ERATOR) 1111 ,CO(N)S(UL) V, P(ATER) P(ATRIAE ) EQUITIBUS ET PEDITIBUS QUI MILITANT IN ALIS . . . . ET COHORTIBUS . . . . QUAE APPELLANTUR CLASSIAN A C(IVIUM) R(OMANORUM) ET ET SUNT IN BRITANNIA ‘ SUB 2 QUI QUINA ET VICENAETC .
[QUORUM NOMINA SUBSCRIPTA SUNT, IPSIS LIBERIS POSTERISQUE EORUM CIVITATEM DEDIT ET CONUBIUM CUM UXORIBU S QUAS TUNC HABUISSENT CUM EST] CIVITAS I(I)S DATA, A[UT , SIQUI CAELIBES] E[SSE]NT, CUM I(I)S QUAS POST[EA DUXISSENT DUMTAX]A[T S]INGULI SINGULAS .[A. D.] 11[ 3 C.] JULIO [BASSO], CN . AFRANIO[DEXTRO COS .! ‘A[LA]E CLASSIANAE C(IVIUM) R(OMANORUM),’ [CUI PRAES T JNICIUS 6 [ J, GREGALI’ [ ]O RAMMI F., [ 8 ET A]MABILI FIRMI [FIL(IAE), 9 UXORI EIUS] . [DESCRI]PTUM ET RECOGN[ITUM EX TABULA AENEA] QUAE FIX AEST R[OMAE] .
[TI. LU]LI [URBANI]; [Q. PO]MPEI [HOMEN]; [P. C]AULI [RESTITUTI] ; [P. AT]INI [AMERIMNZJ; M. [IJULI [CLEMENTIS]; TI . LULL [EUPHEMI]; P. CAUL:. [VITALIS]
The Emperor Caesar Nerva Traianus Augustus, conqueror of Germany, conqueror of Dacia, son of the
deified Nerva, pontifex maximus, in his ninth year of tribunician power, four times acclaimed Imperator, five times consul, father of his country, has granted to the cavalrymen and infantrymen who are serving in . . .alae and . . . cohorts called :
- (ala) Classiana,
Roman citizens and and are stationed in Britain under who have served twenty-five or more years, whose names are written below, citizenship for themselves, their children and descendants, and the right of legal marriage with the wives they had when citizenship was granted to them, or, if any were unmarried, with those they later marry, but only a single one each.
Three or four days before in the consulships of Caius Julius Bassus and Gnaeus Afranius Dexter (A.D. 105, 4 May-13 July) .
To us, son of Rammio (?) from (?), and Amabilis, daughter of Firmus, his wife. Copied and checked from the bronze tablet set up at Rome.
[Witnessed by] :
- Tiberius Julius Urbanus ;
- Quintus Pompeius Homerus ;
- Publius Caulius Restitutus;
- Publius Atinius Amerimnus ;
- Marcus Julius Clemens ;
- Tiberius Julius Euphemus ;
- Publius Caulius Vitalis .