Robinson Genealogy

Maybe Grandpa was right when he said his family originated in Wales. The land of Wales in AD 43 wasn't anything but land surrounded on three sides by the sea. The Romans tried to subdue the Welsh tribes after Claudius invaded it then. It was occupied by Celtic tribes. They were the (1) Silures in the south, the (2) Demetae in the southwest, the (3) Cornovii in the middle, the (4) Deceangli on the north coast and the (5) Ordovices in the mountains of Snowdonia and Cader Idris. Our family could have come from one of these tribes or more likely the Romans themselves.

The Silures attacked the border in AD 47 and 48 and were encouraged to do so by Caratacus, who was a fugitive chieftain of the defeated Catuvellauni who had taken refuge in Wales. The Romans built fortresses at Gloucester and Usk to contain the Silare tribe. Caratacus moved north and was defeated in AD 51. His wife and children were captured, so he fled to the court of Queen Cartimandua, leader of the Brigantes in northern Britannia. There he was handed over to the Romans by Cartimandua and taken to Rome in Chains. He was surprised by being relased by Claudius after he made a speech where he asked, "Why do you, who possess so many palaces, covet our poor tents?" However, the Silure tribe resumed their attacks and defeated the 20th legion in AD 52. The Emperor Nero had succeeded Claudiius in AD 54 and issued instructions to subdue the whole island of Britannia and so in AD 58 a new governor arrived. He was Suetonius Paulinus, a professional soldier with experience in the Atlas Mountains of Algeria. In two years he had Wales in an iron grip. Refugees ran to Anglesey, the center of the Druids, and Suetonius attacked. The British had lined the shore of the Menai Straits and among them were black robed women with wild messy hair like the Furies holding torches. Nearby stood the Druids with hands raised to the heavens screaming curses at the Romans. The Romans weren't scared and swam across the Straits and defeated the Centic refugees and the Druids. They destroyed their sacred groves of trees. Unfortunately Suetonius had to leave hurridly to deal with another revolt of the Iceni so General Julius Agricola finished the job in AD 78 by killing everyone.

Those military outposts became centers of economic activity. Who were the Roman soldiers? Not all were Italians from Rome. They would be granted citizenship in Wales at retirement. and had come from the valleys of the Rhine and the Danube, or Germany. That doesn't sound like our beginnings that were from the East with a Dys# 393 allele being a 12. The Roman army left in the 4th and 5th centuries. Then the Irish attacked, mainly Niall of the Nine Hostages. They raided looking for slaves and acted like the Vikings. They also looked for places to settle.

Resource: Saxons, Vikings, and Celts by Bryan Sykes

Labels: Celts, Claudius, Romans