Questions on Constantius, Constantine and the Northern British Tribes

[Nathan Ross]

By far the most monument that we see show a very Romanised population where names are concerned.

Yes! There's the famous Drustagni hic iacet Cunomori filius from Cornwall, and others from Wales and elsewhere - apparently native British warlords were still producing inscriptions in Latin long after Roman rule had gone.

Some earlier inscriptions (including curse tablets) show an interesting mixture of 'Roman' and 'British' names, suggesting a shared culture: AE 1979, 00389 has a list of names including Matutinus, Cogitatus, Virilis, Iuventianus, Cunovendus and Catugnavus...

He did not need any troops from Britain.

Although there's the note in Zosimus that I mentioned above: Constantine "...likewise [drew] a force out of Britain" for his invasion of Italy. I would think it quite likely that detachments from the troops in Britain were used for operations on the continent throughout this period. These detachments would presumably have been recruited largely from Roman citizens of the province of native British origin, as they had been for centuries before.

Whether any of these various detachments may eventually have contributed to the few late Roman field army units with 'British' names recorded in the Notitia Dignitatum is, of course, impossible to establish!