Crime & Order Maintenance in Celtic & Roman Britain

801 Words4 Pages
CRIME AND ORDER MAINTENANCE IN CELTIC &; ROMAN BRITAIN MODULE 1 Malfeasance in office was as common in Roman Britain as it is in modern Britain – discuss with reference to Julius Argricola. Julius Agricola, born 13th March 40AD, was a Statesman and soldier, and when Roman Britain was conquered, became Governor in 78AD of large areas of Great Britain, holding this position for seven years. As Governor, he became the personal representative of the Emperor, and it is well documented that appointment to office allowed the individual to pay debts and accumulate enough money to perhaps gain further promotion (Barrow R.H. 1990. The Romans. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books). Roman officials worked for free, but the one benefit they were allowed was free housing. In today’s society politicians get a salary plus allowances, extras and mortgages, and are not expected to benefit from these “perks” in order to line their pockets. Only men with the most ability and experience were deemed worthy of appointment as a Roman official. Agricola’s aim, once appointed, was to gain advantage over Britons by crushing any resistance with terror tactics, together with gaining the trust and respect of the hearts of the people by establishing a just government and peaceful existence. During his reign, Agricola found corruption and scams being used by high ranking officials, using their status to charge, for example, for supply of grains from Imperial granaries, supply this back after charging for high cost of transport and pocketing the proceeds (Potter T. Roman Britain 1983). Agricola, as Chief Justice of the Province with authority over civil and criminal matters, was also responsible for reconciling differences between local and Roman law as well as disagreements between the various communities. Whilst Agricola could preside over cases involving Roman citizens, (similar to
Open Document