Cargill’s Roman fort stood near the meeting of the Tay and Isla, at the foot of Strathmore. Its position makes sense for an army concerned with routes and supplies, while later finds leave open questions about how often the site was used.
Visit Cargill
📍 Location: Near the junction of the Isla and Tay, north of Perth. Grid reference NO 166 379.
👁 What survives: Buried fort, annexe and associated remains revealed by aerial and geophysical survey.
⭐ Best for: Exploring a military crossroads at the entrance to Strathmore.
🥾 Visit: A cultivated riverside landscape. Use existing routes and avoid crops; river access is not implied by the site map.
🏛 Nearby Roman places: A separate smaller fortlet lies about 270 m west; Bertha and Cardean belong to the wider network.
Cargill at a glance
| Feature | Evidence and interpretation |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Flavian occupation in the later first century. Later coins raise the possibility of second-century reuse, which is not yet securely resolved. |
| Garrison | Unidentified Roman auxiliaries; no secure unit title. |
| Size | Around 2 hectares (about 5 acres); the supplied dimensions are approximately 170 × 120 m. The northern annexe is additional. |
| Probable troop strength | Around 700 troops as a rounded area-based estimate; actual strength and composition unknown. |
Finding and mapping the fort
The larger fort was recognised from the air during the Second World War. Modern survey clarified its ditch circuit and northern annexe. A separate smaller installation lies to the west; the two should not be mistaken for a single fort plan.
One occupation or more?
Excavation notes point to Flavian occupation and several rebuilding phases. The Roman Gask Project’s 2005 work recovered worn Hadrianic coins, prompting a suggestion of later reuse. Third-century coins were also found, but could relate to local settlement rather than a late Roman garrison. Coins lost on a site do not, by themselves, establish continuous military occupation.
How many troops?
The supplied dimensions give about 2.04 hectares and an area-based estimate close to 700. The surveyed outline is of a similar order, but neither measurement identifies the garrison. A partly mounted force or a combination of detachments might require different space from a standard infantry cohort. The annexe and the separate fortlet should not automatically be added to the resident troop total.
Inscriptions and the identity of the troops
No inscription naming Cargill’s garrison has been established in the sources consulted. The important later evidence is numismatic, so the coins should not be represented as unit inscriptions or proof of a specific regiment.
For the regiments and types of troops represented across Scotland, see Auxiliary units in Roman Scotland. The Roman Army guide explains the wider organisation, while Roman fort layout introduces the buildings found in permanent bases.
References and further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Cargill, NRHE 28493 — site record, archaeological notes and excavation bibliography.
- Roman Gask Project: Annual Report 2005, Cargill survey and coin discoveries
- Roman Inscriptions of Britain: search Cargill — consult find contexts and commentary; a search result is not itself evidence for a garrison.
- Romans in Scotland fort-size spreadsheet — supplied copy used for dimensions and rounded capacity estimates, with archaeological measurements preferred where revised.
- Paul Holder (2003), ‘Auxiliary Deployment in the Reign of Hadrian’, especially p. 120 — nominal unit organisation, consulted in the supplied PDF; not a local garrison identification.
