This is a partial list of Governors of Roman Britain. As Britannia, Roman Britain was a consular province, which means its governors need to be appointed consul by Rome before they could govern it. While this rank could be obtained either as a suffect or ordinares, a number of governors were consul ordinares, and also appear in the List of Early Imperial Roman Consuls. Later governors could be of the lower, equestrian rank.
Not all the governors are recorded by Roman historians and many are only loosely known from epigraphic evidence or from sources such as the Vindolanda letters. Beyond the recall of Gnaeus Julius Agricola the dates of service of those who can be named can only be inferred. Others are still entirely anonymous and by the time of the division of Britain into separate provinces, the record is very patchy.
Claudian Governors
Aulus Plautius 43 - 47
Ostorius Scapula 47 - 52
Aulus Didius Gallus 52 - 57
Quintus Veranius 57 - 57
Gaius Suetonius Paulinus 58 - 62
Publius Petronius Turpilianus 62 - 63
Marcus Trebellius Maximus 63 - 69
Flavian Governors
Marcus Vettius Bolanus 69 - 71
Quintus Petillius Cerialis 71 - 74
Sextus Julius Frontinus 74 - 78 also a military writer
Gnaeus Julius Agricola 78 - 84 conqueror of Scotland
Sallustius Lucullus (uncertain) 84 - c. 89
Unknown c. 89 - c. 96
Publius Metilius Nepos (uncertain) c. 96 - c. 97
Trajanic Governors
Tiberius Avidius Quietus c. 97 - c. 101
Lucius Neratius Marcellus c. 101 - c. 103
Unknown c. 103 - 115
Marcus Appius Bradua (uncertain) 115 - 118
Hadrianic Governors
Quintus Pompeius Falco 118 - 122
Aulus Platorius Nepos 122 - c. 125
Trebius Germanus (uncertain) c. 127
Sextus Julius Severus c. 131 - c. 133
Publius Mummius Sisenna (uncertain) c. 133 - c. 135 or later
Antonine Governors
Quintus Lollius Urbicus c. 138 - c. 144
Gnaeus Papirius Aelianus c. 145 - c. 147
Unknown c. 147 - c. 158
Gnaeus Julius Verus c. 158
Longinus c. 158- 161
Marcus Statius Priscus c. 161 - c. 162
Sextus Calpurnius Agricola c. 163 - c. 166
Unknown c. 166 - 175
Quintus Antistius Adventus c. 175 - c. 178
Caerellius Priscus (uncertain) c. 178 - c. 181
Ulpius Marcellus c. 181 - c. 185
Publius Helvius Pertinax c. 185 - c. 187, later Roman Emperor
Unknown c. 187 - c. 191
Decimus Clodius Albinus c. 191 - c. 197 Imperial usurper
Severan Governors
Virius Lupus 197 - c. 201
Marcus Antius Crescens Calpurnianus c. 202 (Acting governor)
Gaius Valerius Pudens c. 202 - c. 205
Lucius Alfenus Senecio c. 205 - c. 207
Some sources list a further governor, a second Ulpius Marcellus. He was interpreted as a son of the first Ulpius Marcellus, serving. c. 211. This is based on a misdated inscription and it is now accepted that it refers to the earlier Ulpius Marcellus only.
The two sons of emperor Septimius Severus, Caracalla and Publius Septimius Geta, administered the province to some degree during and immediately after their father's campaigns there which took place between 208 and 211.
Division into Britannia Superior and Inferior
This list assumes the final division occurred c. 213 or a year or two before.
Britannia Superior
Tiberius Julius Pollienus Auspex in period c. 223 - 226
Caius Junius Faustinus Postumianus
Rufinus
Marcus Martiannius Pulcher
Titus Desticius Juba in period 253 - 255
Britannia Inferior
Gaius Julius Marcus by 213
Marcus Antonius Gordianus by 216
Modius Julius by 219
Tiberius Claudius Paulinus c. 220
Marius Valerianus 221 - 222/223
Claudius Xenephon 223
Maximus by 225
Claudius Apellinus in period 222 - 235
Calvisius Rufus in period 222 - 235
Valerius Crescens Fulvianus in period 222 - 235
Tuccianus by 237
Maecilius Fuscus in period 238 - 244
Egnatius Lucilianus in period 238 - 244
Nonius Philippus by 242
Octavius Sabinus in period 260 - 269 (under the Gallic Empire)
Diocese of the Britains
Following the reabsorption of Britain into the Roman Empire, the island was further repartitioned by Diocletian, this time into four separate provinces, Maxima Caesariensis in the southeast, with its capital at London, Flavia Caesariensis in the east, with its capital at Lincoln, Britannia Secunda in the north, with its capital at York, and Britannia Prima in the west (including present day Wales), with its capital at Cirencester. A fifth province called Valentia also briefly existed, probably in the far north. Each had a governor of equestrian rank (a praeses) and they were overseen by a vicarius. Later in the fourth century, the governor of Maxima Caesariensis had to be of consular rank. The following names are the few which have survived from this era, covering the almost 100 years until c. 408, when the Roman cilvilian administration was expelled by the native population.
Vicarii
Pacatianus c. 319
Flavius Martinus c. 353
Alypius, soon after Martinus
Civilis 368
Victorinus probably in period 395 - 406
Chrysanthus probably in period 395 - 406
Governors
Aurelius Arpagius (possibly Britannia Secunda) in period 296 - 305
Flavius Sanctus mid fourth century
Lucius Septimus (Britannia Prima) date unknown.
Other rulers in Roman Britain
Usurpers and British-based rulers of the Western Empire
In c. 278 an unknown governor rebelled but was quickly defeated.
