Forden Gaer, Y Gaer, Caer Flos and Lavrobrinta are respective English, Welsh and possible
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
names for the
Roman fort
In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term.
In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...
in the township of Thornbury, in the parish of
Forden
Forden ( cy, Ffordun) is a village near Welshpool in Powys, Wales, formerly in the historic county of Montgomeryshire. It forms part of the community (and community council) of Forden, Leighton and Trelystan with the neighbouring settlements o ...
, in the old county of
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire, also known as ''Maldwyn'' ( cy, Sir Drefaldwyn meaning "the Shire of Baldwin's town"), is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It is named after its county tow ...
, which now forms part of
Powys,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. The fort lies on the E bank of the Severn a short distance N of Montgomery, and covers an important crossing of the river close to the historic ford at
Rhydywhyman. It is likely that this is the same fort as Lavrobrinta, which is mentioned in the
Ravenna Cosmography
The ''Ravenna Cosmography'' ( la, Ravennatis Anonymi Cosmographia, "The Cosmography of the Unknown Ravennese") is a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland, compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around 700 AD. Text ...
.
[ Rivet A L F and Smith, C, The Placenames of Roman Britain, Batsford, London, 1979, 391] The fort lies on the Roman Road between
Wroxeter and
Caersws. The defences were originally of earth, subsequently revetted with a timber-laced rampart of clay. Some internal buildings may have been of stone. The fort was established ca. A.D. 75-80 and was not finally abandoned before the reign of
Valentinian I (A.D. 364-378). The finds are in the
Powysland Museum
The Powysland Club is a historical society for the county of Montgomeryshire, Wales. It was founded in 1867. Among the society's members was Elias Owen, the antiquarian who served as a committee member and published articles in the club's journal ...
,
Welshpool.
Bibliography
* F. N. Pryce & T. D. Pryce, ''Excavations of the Powysland Club at the Forden Gaer,'' Archaeologia Cambrensis 82 (1927) 333-54.
* ''The Forden Gaer. Second Interim Report,'' ibid. 84 (1929) 100-39;
* ''The Forden Gaer. Third Interim Report,'' ibid. 85 (1930) 115-30;
* P. J. Casey in V. E. Nash-Williams, ''The Roman Frontier in Wales'' (2d ed. by M. G. Jarrett 1969) 85-88.
* N W Jones in Burnham B C and Davies J L, ''Roman Frontier in Wales and the Marches'', RCHMW, 2010, 243-245.
References
{{Reflist
Forts
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
History of Wales