366 THE ROMANS IN CORNWAJLL. 



may form as to tlie cliaracter of the Eoman occupation. That 

 there was some sort of association or occupation all are agreed — 

 the points to be solved are its extent and nature. 



Now, at the first blush of the question, we see what an 

 enormous difference there is between Cornwall and such a 

 thoroughly Romanized county as Somerset, where Eoman 

 remains have been found, according to Prebendary Scarth, in 

 108 places out of 488 parishes — stations, baths, villas, pottery 

 kilns, interments, inscriptions, defences. Devon is far, very far, 

 behind Somerset in such matters, but Devon has the relics of a 

 Eoman station at Exeter, while the only Eoman stations in 

 Cornwall are to be found in the pages of the forgery fathered 

 on Eichard of Cirencester. 



And thus, when we come to sum up the evidence for the 

 presence of the Eomans in Cornwall it comes simply to this — 

 that Eoman coins have been found at some twenty localities, in 

 some half dozen cases only taking the dimensions of hoards ; 

 that there have been very few instances of personal ornaments;* 

 that there are earthworks which may be Eoman (I cannot accept 

 the idea that rectangularity of plan is conclusive) ; that on the 

 estuary of the Camel the occurrence of pottery of Eoman date 

 with other relics seems noteworthy ; that there was a similar 

 association at Bosence, St. Hilary ; and that there are two so- 

 called miliary stones in the county, that at St. Hilary, and that 

 recently discovered by the Eev. W. lago, at Tintagel. 



The full weight of this will be seen, as I have suggested, if 

 Cornwall is compared with such counties as Somerset or 

 Grioucester, or even, so far as Exeter and the country north and 

 east of that city is concerned, with Devon. 



It would be a great point then if Cornwall could claim the 

 possession of Eoman roads. Mr. Whitley, in 1875, held that it 

 could not; Dr. Barham, in 1877, reasoning from the assumed 

 miliary character of the St. Hilary stone, held that it could. 

 Mr. lago makes a similar deduction from the use of the word 

 "street" as in Stratton, though I presume he would not argue 

 that that word is applied to every so-called Eoman road. Now I 



* The so-called Romano- British relics from Trelan are pre-Koman. So with 

 the so-called Roman celts. 



