The provincial procurator was in charge of crown properties, estates and industrial enterprises, including mines as well as the collection of taxes. These were land and property taxes and council taxes levied on property. Taxes were mainly paid in cash but goods were also used as payment in kind.
In London a stamp or brand on a wooden writing tablet (now in the British Museum) alludes to the procurator’s office, in addition to the many building tiles that refer to the office of the procurator of the province of Britain at London. The stamps on the tiles (PPBRLON) indicate an official government involvement in building works.
Since it is known that one early procurator, Classicianus, died in London (see Classicianus), it can be assumed that his residence, offices and records (tabularium) were also there. In the early town, at least after the Boudican rebellion, there must have been a large public building that served as a centre for the financial and economic administration for the province.
An early stone building lay in the centre of the town west of Gracechurch Street (GM68) which was demolished in the early Flavian period. It seems to have been the only early building constructed in stone and stood in a central site where a governmental building might be expected.
The procurator had his own staff and a writing tablet from London gives an interesting insight as to the sort of staff he might have had. A deed of sale of a slave girl from Poultry (ONE94) showed that she was purchased by an imperial slave who in turn was also owned by an imperial slave, both of whom were employed by the procurator.
The procurator’s staff must have consisted, therefore, of imperial slaves and freedmen who were entrusted to administer imperial estates and provincial finances and who could, from this evidence, accumulate their own savings. For more information, see Slave girl in London in Londinium Lite.
The office of procurator was later phased out with government restructuring in the 4th century when the duties were taken over by a civilian governor.
