Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/223

 i 9 r THE HISTORY 3ookI, dian f and which obtained the difcriminative title of the Twia Claudian % The troops then Which the Romans maintained in the ifland were five legions, one of which was a double legion, and all of which had their attendant auxiliaries, or about feventy-three thoufand foot and thirteen thoufand horie. The head- quarters of one of thefe legions, the twentieth, were in all probability fixed at Chefter by the dirc&ion of Agricola and at the termination of his war. The twentieth legion certainly refided at Chefter within feventy years after that period lf. AikJ we have the pofitive teftimony of Malmeibury, perhaps the ve- hicle of tradition, but probably the copier of hiftory, that one or more of the Julian legions, die legions commanded by Julius Agricola, were actually fettled at Chefter **, We have alio the determinate the decifive teftimony of Richard, that Chefter was originally conftruded by the ibddiers of the twentieth le- gion 30. And the Frifian. cohort which refided at Mancuniiwn muft in all probability have been a part of its auxiliaries,, one of the eight cohorts which were annexed to the tea of the legiop> and which muft ordinarily have accompanied the legion upoa expeditions in war, and ordinarily have been difpo&d within the ftationa that were neareft to it in peace. But the whole of the Fr#an cohort, as I have previoufly mentioned, was not .lodged in the ftation upon the Mecjlock. Six detachments from it were conftantly kept in the fix ftations of Stretford and of Stockport, of Lowcafter and of R^inefhow, and of Caftle-HiU and Hillwood* The firft ftation muft have required about nine Contubernia or an hundred men for a garrifon ; the third and fourth about an hundred and thirty men ; and the fifth, fixth and fecond about an hundred and twenty 3 k. Thus three hundred and fifty of the Mancunian Frifians were con- ftantly detached upon duty to thefe fix fubordinate caftra. Each corps muft have been under the regulation of the fame difcipline as the main body. And each muft have been foon recalled to the