Carlisle's first soldiers

Carlisle's first garrison was probably made up of German cavalrymen.

Men who had been on the wrong side in a civil war and whose reward was to be transferred to a remote, province by the Emperor; part of the Roman Army. Their regiment, Ala Gallorum Sebosiana had been stationed in the Rhineland, before fighting on the losing side in Italy in 69 AD. During the Roman advance into what is now Scotland, during the early 70’s AD, they were stationed at Carlisle or as they knew it Lugovalium.

The Evidence?

Excavations discovered written records, discarded over 2,000 years ago in ditches and latrine pits where BBC Cumbria now have their studios. Two refer to Ala Sebosiana. The records are on pieces of wood, as thick as heavy cartridge paper about the size of a large postcard. The deposit dates to around 120 AD, but it contains earlier material. One includes the beginning of a word “seb…”. But the more significant fragment reads:

“ to [missing name] trooper of the ala Sebosiana, singularis of Agricola.”

A singularis was a mounted bodyguard and Gnaeus Iulis Agricola Governor of Britain from 77-84 AD campaigned in the North. Was the trooper staying a few nights at Carlisle? Did he take the opportunity to throw away some old letters? Or had he returned to his parent unit and it was the Regiment that was clearing out its old 'paperwork'. Expert opinion is that the latter is the more likely.

Other tablets show that the regiment at Carlisle was a cavalry unit of around 500 men strong. There is record of a wheat and barley issue: wheat for the men, barley for their horses.

Regimental history

It all adds up to the garrison being identified as Ala Gallorum Sebosiana. The name means Ala - cavalry; Gallorum - probably raised in Gaul; and Sebosiana - raised by a man or an early commander called Sebosus.

Having been formed in Gaul, probably around 20 AD, the unit was transferred to the Rhineland and a fort at Worms. Roman forts were closer to regimental depots than Medieval castles. Roman policy was to dominate territory by patrolling. It was standard practice to move new units away from their origins. In the second century, units raised in Britain garrisoned forts on the German frontier. Once transferred the unit would recruit locally. Since Roman cavalryman served for 25 years, by 70 AD Sebosiana would have been manned by Germans. There is a gravestone of a trooper at Worms that reads:

'Leubius, son of Claupus, cavalryman discharged from the ala Sebosiana, lived 75 years, lies here, his son Gratus, an infantryman, did this according to his will'.

The troop commanders on the Carlisle writing tablets have names common in German provinces, which would fit with a regiment that had spent around thirty years in the Rhineland.

There are striking similarities between the Roman and the British Army. Like British regiments Roman units had two colours: one regimental, the other the Monarch’s. Though the latter was a sculpted image of the Emperor. Standards were accorded the same respect as those of a modern regiment and were kept in the regimental shrine. The Regiment celebrated the sovereign’s (the Emperor’s) birthday. And, as archaeology at Carlisle, Vindolanda and London, has shown, this was a literate Army that kept records.

Four Emperors in one year

In 68 AD, with Ala Sebosiana in Upper Germany, open revolt over the behaviour of the Emperor, Nero led him to commit suicide. In the following year there would be civil war and four Emperors. In January 69 the Emperor Galba was murdered and Otho seized the throne. Within the month Aulus Vitellius the Governor of Upper Germany threw his hat into the ring. He was supported by the Army in Germany and Britain.

Ala Sebosiana was part of the German army that Vitellius took to Italy. For eight months Vitellius was Emperor, but then an army arrived supporting the claim of the Flavian, Titus Flavius Vespasianus, the Governor of Palestine. Vespasian had supported Galba and he based his bid on correcting the injustice of both Galba’s successors.

With troops loyal to Vespasian arriving from Hungary, and the east Ala Sebosiana were posted to guard one route into north-east Italy. The Roman historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus, describes the advancing Flavians receiving a report:

“…that three cohorts of Vitellius' auxiliary infantry and a regiment of cavalry, Ala Sebosiana, were established at Forum Alieni1, where they had constructed a bridge.”

The report also described the defenders as not being very alert. The Flavians attacked at dawn.

“Instructions have been given that only a few should be killed and the rest frightened into changing sides.”

Ala Sebosiana changed sides. Titus Flavius Vespasianus, won the throne and becomes the first Flavian Emperor, Vespasian.

Changes in Britain

A new Emperor and a new governor, Quintus Petillius Cerialis. Cerialis brought with him units from Vitellius’s beaten army including Ala Gallorum Sebosiana and Ala Gallorum Petriana. For them a British posting was a reward for backing the losing side. The Province did not have a good reputation. Tacitus described Britain:

“The climate is objectionable, with its frequent rains and mists.”

It is unlikely to be a coincidence that both cavalry units, Petriana and Sebosiana, were placed on the two main Roman routes North: Ala Sebosiana at Carlisle and Ala Petriana in the west at Corbridge.

Cerialis was an arch-loyalist of the Flavian regime; possibly the son-in-law of the Emperor. He had served in Britain commanding the IX Hispana legion and had narrowly escaped death, when he took a detachment of the legion to confront Boudicca, but misjudging the scale of her rebellion, the legion suffered heavy losses. Roman generals marched to towards ‘the sound of the guns’.

The historian Tacitus does not give Cerialis anything more than a grudging credit for fighting the Brigantes, the tribe living in the Pennines. Tacitus was son-in-law of Gnaeus Iulis Agricola, who arrived as Governor around 83 AD. And it is Agricola that Tacitus praises for campaigning in the north. But archaeology at Carlisle shows that the fort was established by Cerialis around 72 AD, although that its main gate was restored in 83 AD. Agricola arrived as Governor around 78 AD. Like Cerialis, he had served in Britain during Boudicca’s rebellion, though Agricola had served with the XXth Legion.

Northern Battle

Sebosiana were likely to have been present at Agricola’s final victory somewhere between the Moray Firth and the River Tay. Tacitus calls it the battle of Mons Graupius and without a Medieval monk’s copying error, we would have the Graupian Mountains in Scotland today. Tacitus’s description of the battle includes:

“The Britons on the hilltops had so far taken no part in the action, and had the leisure to note the smallness of our numbers with contempt. They now began to make a slow descent and envelope are victorious rear. But Agricola had anticipated just such a move, and throwing in their path four regiments of cavalry, which he was keeping in hand for emergencies. He thus broke and scattered them …”.

Sebosiana’s more usual combat experience would have been operations against cattle thieves and tax evaders. Full scale raids across the Northern frontier occurred, but for most soldiers they would have been exceptional.

And then they’re gone

The Regiment’s name appears on a writing tablet at Vindolanda that dates from 97-105 AD and they are recorded on a gravestone near Inveresk, in the Lothians. It is another trooper on the Governor’s guard, but this dates to around 160 AD, and another advance into Caledonia.

There is an inscription to mark their restoring the bath-house at Lancaster around 260 AD, by when they have gained the title ‘Postumas’ Own’. Postumas was a general who set himself up as Emperor until he was murdered in 269 AD. Presumably their new name was a temporary one

The Regiment is not included in the late Fourth document, the Notitia Dignitatum that lists troops in the Roman Army. Perhaps they were taken to Gaul by in a bid for the throne made by another usurper. We may never know, but they can claim to have been in at the beginning of Carlisle’s military heritage.

Peter Green