The Roman Milestone
A granite Roman milestone, dated AD238-244; found in one of our fields in 1942 during ploughing. It was left in a hedge until 1946 when it was placed in the private garden at Mynheer Farm, its present location.
There are four other milestones in Cornwall. Two are near Tintagel and two near St Michael’s Mount, one of these being in Breage Church.
The stone at Mynheer Farm survives as an upright granite pillar standing 1.06 metres in height and is orientated east-west. The milestone is almost triangular in section, as the sides taper inwards from the west face to form a narrow east face. The west face bears an incised inscription in several short lines.
The inscription is in Latin and reads: `IMP CAES ANT GOR DIA NO PIO FEL'.
This is an abbreviated form of the Latin for: `imperatorinus caesaribus Antonius Gordianus pio felicitas'.
This translates as: `for the emperor, caesar, Antonius Gordian pious fortunate'.
The inscription dates to between AD 238 and 244.
It was found below ground level during ploughing in 1942, standing nearly vertically. This is thought to be its original location before being thrown into the adjacent hedge. It has been suggested that the linear depression it was found near was a major route through Cornwall and that there may be a road about 1 metre below the surface. In October 1946 the milestone was re-erected on its modern granite base in its present location. The milestone is a Scheduled and Listed Grade 2 monument.
Please get in touch if you would like to visit the Roman Milestone.