Long before the Antonine Wall crossed central Scotland, a small Roman detachment occupied Mollins. The fortlet offers a glimpse of the earlier military network around the Forth–Clyde isthmus, when the army’s northern arrangements were still developing.
Visit Mollins
📍 Location: Near Moodiesburn, North Lanarkshire, south of the Luggie Water and about 4 km south of Bar Hill.
👁 What survives: Buried remains revealed by aerial photography and limited excavation.
⭐ Best for: Exploring the first-century military presence around the Forth–Clyde isthmus.
🥾 Visit: A rural landscape stop, with no exposed Roman buildings. Follow existing routes and avoid cultivated land.
🏛 Nearby Roman places: Bar Hill on the later Antonine Wall.
Mollins at a glance
| Feature | Evidence and interpretation |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Flavian, probably the AD 80s; c. AD 80–86 is a working range. The fortlet predates the Antonine Wall. |
| Garrison | An unidentified small Roman detachment. |
| Size | Approximately 64 × 58 m: 0.37 hectares (0.92 acres), often rounded to 0.4 hectares over the ramparts. |
| Probable troop strength | Around 130 troops as an area-based estimate; actual numbers are unknown. |
Finding a first-century post
Aerial discovery in 1977 led to limited excavation and the recognition of a Flavian fortlet. It was small, with an enclosure measured over its ramparts at roughly 0.4 hectares. Its size and pottery place it within a different episode from the much later building of the Antonine Wall.
A changing landscape
Environmental evidence discussed in the supplied Bearsden report suggests an open woodland setting with increasing pastoral activity and possible oak clearance around AD 80–90. This gives the military remains a wider setting: soldiers entered a used and changing countryside. It does not show that every change in vegetation was caused by the garrison.
How many men?
The supplied dimensions produce a rounded estimate of about 130. That suggests a small detachment rather than a complete standard cohort. Since ramparts occupy part of the measured area and the accommodation is incompletely known, the figure is only an indication of scale. Mollins can be connected with first-century military control of the isthmus without assuming a continuous, fully planned frontier identical to the later Wall.
Inscriptions and the identity of the troops
No inscription identifying the detachment’s parent regiment has been established in the sources consulted. The Flavian dating rests on archaeological evidence; a unit name cannot be supplied from the site’s position alone.
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: Mollins, NRHE 45931 — site record, archaeological notes and excavation bibliography.
- ScARF: pre-Antonine military presence
- W. S. Hanson and G. S. Maxwell (1980), ‘An Agricolan Praesidium on the Forth–Clyde Isthmus’, Britannia 11, pp. 43–49
- Roman Inscriptions of Britain: search Mollins — 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.
- D. J. Breeze, Bearsden: A Roman Fort on the Antonine Wall (2016), p. 271 — regional environmental evidence, consulted in the supplied PDF.
