List of recumbent stone circles explained

Recumbent stone circles are found in Aberdeenshire in northeast Scotland. Their most striking characteristic is that in the general direction of south-southwest there is a large stone lying on its side with its length lining up with the perimeter of the circle. Thought to have been from the Bronze Age, their unusual design, and the possibility of being associated with astronomical observations, has attracted several surveys starting at the beginning of the 20th century.

In 2011 the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland published an authoritative book on this type of monument and produced an online gazetteer. Since publication, two other recumbent stone circles have been identified by archaeologists.

Surveys including recumbent stone circles

The particular characteristic of recumbent stone circles is that, as well as being a ring of upright stones (orthostats), they have a large stone lying on its side along the perimeter of the circle towards south to southwest. On both sides are particularly tall orthostats. The recumbent stone and flankers, as they are called, together form the recumbent setting. Around the ring the orthostats get progressively lower in height and more closely spaced until they reach the opposite side from the setting. These stone circles contain a low central ring cairn surrounded by comparatively small kerb stones.

Thought to have been built in the Bronze Age, over the millennia many of these circles have become ruinous, being particularly vulnerable in the 18th and 19th centuries due to agricultural improvement, so many stones have fallen or been taken away and, indeed, only about half of the circles show any signs of a cairn without archaeological excavation.

As early as 1527 Hector Boece was writing about the stone circles in Scottorum Historia. Until the mid 19th century these circles, when they were noticed at all, were spoken of as being "Druidical Temples" or similar epithets and it was Frederick Coles who was the first person to carry out a systematic survey which he published in an annual series of papers from 1900 to 1907 in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Although Coles was careful and cautious in his identifications, he sometimes made misidentifications of circles in a ruinous condition. Somewhat similar stone circles were later found in the far southwest of Ireland where they were originally called recumbent stone circles until significant differences led to them becoming called "Cork–Kerry stone circles" and later axial stone circles.

As part of their wider interest in northern European stone circles, the northeast Scotland circles attracted Alexander Thom, Aubrey Burl and Clive Ruggles who catalogued them as part of their investigations into whether the recumbent setting could in some way be shown to have an astronomical significance. Those identified as recumbent stone circles all were found in the traditional counties of Aberdeenshire (historic county) and Kincardineshire (with a very few just over the borders into Angus, and Banffshire). In current terms except for two they are all in the Aberdeenshire council area. In 2011 the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) published an authoritative book,, on recumbent stone circles specifically. The RCAHMS also issued an online gazetteer giving details of each monument that listed 71 as confirmed being recumbent and another 85 as not belonging in this category.

List of circles categorised as recumbent by RCAHMS

No.
!! Name,
parish
!! Condition
Stones: S+F/T
!! class="unsortable"
Code !	Diameter (metre)	Axis	Burl refs.	Canmore map/ ID Grid ref		Lat/ Long
1		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 5+5/11	wRE	16.5x15	185.5°	Ab90 Ab1	NJ94NE 4 20571 NJ958470	57.514°N -2.0704°W
2		data-sort-value="1"	good 15+0/18	WR_	25x23.5	174°	Ki165 Ki2 ^[1]	NO99NW 1 37186 NO901963	57.058°N -2.1635°W
3		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 5+3/9	WRE	11	159°	Ab91 Ab2	NJ52NE 4 17641 NJ552279	57.3398°N -2.7447°W
4		data-sort-value="4"	gone 0+0/?	___	-			NJ72SE 34 18906 NJ757204	57.2737°N -2.4033°W
5		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 25+5/13	_R_	20		Ki1	NO89NE 4 37069 NO890968	57.0628°N -2.1823°W
6		data-sort-value="4"	gone 3+2/9	wrE	15		Ab4	NJ95SW 11 20746 NJ948502	57.5423°N -2.0878°W
7		data-sort-value="4"	gone 0+2/?	wr_	-		Ab5	NJ84SE 1 19879 NJ881448	57.4936°N -2.1993°W
8		data-sort-value="4"	gone 3+2/13or14	_R_	29	224°	Ab8	NJ60SW 5 18024 NJ603035	57.121°N -2.6568°W
9		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 6+4/14	WR_	21	190°	Ab94 Ab9	NJ72SW 2 18989 NJ735240	57.3065°N -2.4415°W
10		data-sort-value="4"	gone 0+1/10+	___	23		Ab27	NJ52NW 25 17663 NJ529269	57.3309°N -2.7834°W
11	Bellman's Wood, Marnoch	data-sort-value="4"	gone 0+2/?	___	6.9		Ba1	NJ65SW 4 18427 NJ604504	57.5421°N -2.6622°W
12		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 5+0/10	WRE	13x10.7	231°	Ab95 Ab10	NK05NW 2 21099 NK027571	57.6044°N -1.9556°W
13		data-sort-value="4"	gone 3+5/10+	wRe	11.3	187°	Ab11	NJ80SE 16 19377 NJ855023	57.1121°N -2.2407°W
14		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 3+5/10	_R_	23	207°	Ab12	NJ40NW 4 17000 NJ411063	57.1441°N -2.9745°W
15	Braehead, Leslie	data-sort-value="4"	gone 1+0/?	_R_	-		Ab14	NJ52NE 6 17643 NJ592255	57.3188°N -2.6781°W
16		data-sort-value="4"	gone 2+0/?	_R_	30+?		Ab20	NJ64NE 4 18323 NJ674465	57.5083°N -2.545°W
17		data-sort-value="4"	gone 2+0/?	WR_	-		Ab22	NJ54SE 1 17855 NJ585446	57.4904°N -2.6924°W
18		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 1+7/9or10	wre	15.5	163.5°	Ab23	NJ52NE 10 17615 NJ599299	57.3584°N -2.668°W
19		data-sort-value="1"	good 7+3/10	WRE	20.5	203°	Ab97 Ab25	NJ71SW 3 18719 NJ715125	57.2027°N -2.4733°W
20	The Cloch, Benholm	data-sort-value="5"	unc. 1+0/?	_R_	-		Ki6	NO76NE 1 36304 NO781679	56.8025°N -2.3599°W
21		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 7+2/9	WRE	17.5x16.7	183°	Ki18 ^[3]	NO79SE 2 36696 NO794949	57.0452°N -2.3401°W
22		data-sort-value="4"	gone 7+6/14	_rE	17	202.5°	An7	NO57NE 3 35145 NO565781	56.8924°N -2.7148°W
23		data-sort-value="5"	unc. 2+0/?	_R_	18.9?		Ab30	NJ52SE 13 17683 NJ552205	57.2731°N -2.7442°W
24	Corrstone Wood, Auchindoir and Kearn	data-sort-value="4"	gone 1+6/17+	Wre	28		Ab31	NJ52NW 2 17657 NJ510271	57.3319°N -2.8153°W
25		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 1+6/?	wR_	23	186°	Ab32	NJ74SW 11 19197 NJ706444	57.4894°N -2.4907°W
26		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 7+1/13-	WRE	20	200°	Ab98 Ab34	NJ61NW 1 18055 NJ617198	57.2673°N -2.6365°W
27		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 5+6/?	w_e	14.5	199°	Ab42	NJ62SW 4 18213 NJ615221	57.2887°N -2.6398°W
28		data-sort-value="4"	gone 3+0/?	WRE	-		Ab44	NJ62NW 4 18161 NJ608284	57.3448°N -2.6519°W
29		data-sort-value="1"	good 12+0/12	WRE	20x18.5	195.5°	Ab102 Ab46	NJ72SW 12 18981 NJ732207	57.277°N -2.4456°W
30		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 9+0/12	WRE	24	176°	Ki169 Ki11	NO79SW 2 36714 NO717915	57.0146°N -2.4675°W
31		data-sort-value="4"	gone 1+7/?	_R_	22x20		Ab50	NJ64SW 6 18370 NJ610428	57.4742°N -2.6504°W
32		data-sort-value="4"	gone 1+0/?	___	-		Ab53	NJ95SE 3 20734 NJ980515	57.5536°N -2.0342°W
33		data-sort-value="4"	gone 0+1/?	_r_	-		Ab28	NJ75NE 1 19227 NJ796586	57.6172°N -2.3418°W
34		data-sort-value="1"	good 5+4/13+	_RE	27x25	219.5°	Ab59	NJ62NE 7 18125 NJ659267	57.3301°N -2.5667°W
35		data-sort-value="4"	gone 2+0/10	WR_	14		Ab61	NJ92SW 1 20401 NJ935243	57.3094°N -2.1095°W
36		data-sort-value="4"	gone 0+0/?	___	23.7		Ab54 ^[4]	NJ44SE 9 17326 NJ467429	57.4736°N -2.8888°W
37		data-sort-value="4"	gone 1+2/?	_rE	23.5		Ab67	NJ62NW 6 18167 NJ623293	57.353°N -2.6277°W
38	Kirkton of Bourtie, Bourtie	data-sort-value="3"	ruin 5+0/10or11	_RE	22		Ab105 Ab68	NJ8ZSW 2 19708 NJ800248	57.3141°N -2.3322°W
39		data-sort-value="4"	gone 2+0/?	_R_	25		Ab70	NJ62SW 1 18190 NJ604242	57.3068°N -2.6574°W
40		data-sort-value="1"	good 11+0/11	WRE	21	200°	Ab106 Ab71	NJ72NW 1 18789 NJ747288	57.3495°N -2.4209°W
41		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 4+3/10or11	WRe	19.6x17.5	194°	Ab108 Ab74	NJ94NE 1 20538 NJ960497	57.5377°N -2.067°W
42		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 2+7/12+	_R_	23x21	165°	Ab75	NJ64SE 6 18357 NJ699425	57.4721°N -2.503°W
43		data-sort-value="2"	OK 8+0/11	WRE	17	231°	Ab109 Ab78	NJ60NE 3 18001 NJ699064	57.1483°N -2.4984°W
44		data-sort-value="4"	gone 1+0/?	_R_	20-		Ki15	NO87NW 6 36819 NO819754	56.87°N -2.2984°W
45		data-sort-value="4"	gone 3+2/?	_r_	23	179°	Ki5 ^[5]	NO87NW 5 36818 NO816772	56.8858°N -2.3026°W
46		data-sort-value="4"	gone 2+4/12	___	11		Ab85	NJ43NW 7 17280 NJ425378	57.4274°N -2.9587°W
47		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 11+17/15?	WRE	17	185°	Ab86	NK05NW 3 21100 NK043572	57.605°N -1.929°W
48		data-sort-value="4"	gone 4+1/?	WRE	22+		Ab87	NJ72NW 3 18811 NJ745296	57.3567°N -2.4246°W
49		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 9+1/11	Wre	18.5x15.5	157.5°	Ki171 Ki13 ^[6]	NO79SW 8 36748 NO723912	57.0113°N -2.4572°W
50		data-sort-value="1"	good 5+13/18	wrE	18.5	180°	Ab110 Ab88	NJ51SE 2 17588 NJ584138	57.2139°N -2.6897°W
51		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 4+4/?	WRE	27	212.5°	Ab111 Ab89	NJ51NE 2 17530 NJ596193	57.2634°N -2.6706°W
52		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 2+0/11?	___	25?		Ab6	NJ60NW 1 18006 NJ625092	57.1728°N -2.6218°W
53		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 1+7/10+	___	26.5?	195°	Ab112 Ab90	NJ62NE 1 18081 NJ679279	57.3412°N -2.5336°W
54		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 1+1/12-	_R_	18		Ab91	NJ64SE 8 18359 NJ686434	57.4805°N -2.525°W
55		data-sort-value="4"	gone 1+2/?	wRe	-		Ab92	NJ91NE 7 20294 NJ952163	57.2379°N -2.0797°W
56		data-sort-value="4"	gone 1+5/?	_R_	18.3	188.5°	Ab92 Ab3 ^[7]	NJ54NW 12 17827 NJ531454	57.4968°N -2.7831°W
57		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 5+0/12or14	_R_	28	216.5°	Ba134 Ba13	NJ54NE 6 20294 NJ550487	57.5264°N -2.7517°W
58		data-sort-value="4"	gone 2+3/?	W_E	-		Ba14	NJ66SW 1 18495 NJ607610	57.6377°N -2.659°W
59		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 2+6/?	W_E	26.8		Ab100	NJ71SE 1 18687 NJ782109	57.189°N -2.3608°W
60		data-sort-value="4"	gone 3+0/?	WRE	16.5? or 29.6?		Ab101	NJ71SE 3 18705 NJ766132	57.2094°N -2.3878°W
61		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 3+0/?	WRE	19x16?		Ab103	NJ62NW 5 18166 NJ601286	57.347°N -2.6646°W
62		data-sort-value="2"	OK 9+1/10	WRE	15.4x12.8	161°	Ab116 Ab105	NJ95SW 2 20754 NJ936544	57.5802°N -2.1075°W
63		data-sort-value="1"	good 11+1/12	WrE	25	231°	Ab117 Ab106	NJ70NW 55 18543 NJ715057	57.1413°N -2.4711°W
64		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 4+9/13	WRe	20	203°	Ab120 ^[8]	NJ61SW 3 18074 NJ643135	57.2109°N -2.5925°W
65		data-sort-value="4"	gone 1+1/?	___	-		Ki19	NO79SW 10 36704 NO725940	57.0363°N -2.4547°W
66		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 7+5/12	WRE	21	202.5°	Ab118 Ab108	NJ60NE 1 17999 NJ651077	57.1593°N -2.5779°W
67	Tomnaverie, Coull	data-sort-value="2"	OK 11+0/13	wre	17	235.5°	Ab119 Ab109	NJ40SE 1 17006 NJ486034	57.1195°N -2.8496°W
68		data-sort-value="1"	good 10+1/11	WRE	18.5	178.5°	Ab101 Ab45 ^[9]	NJ40SE 11 19513 NJ859132	57.2094°N -2.2342°W
69		data-sort-value="4"	gone 1+1/?	_Re	-		Ab115	NJ62NW 2 18139 NJ618272	57.3345°N -2.635°W
70		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 3+0/?	W__	23		Ab118	NJ70NW 2 18534 NJ738083	57.1652°N -2.434°W
71		data-sort-value="3"	ruin 6+3/12-	WRe	22x18	182.5°	Ab122 Ab122	NJ64NW 15 18335 NJ600457	57.5004°N -2.6681°W

Recently classified recumbent stone circles

In 2013 a site at Hillhead was excavated and found to be a recumbent stone circle. The site had been noticed in 1998 but was thought to have been the location of the remains of a roundhouse. The excavation uncovered the sockets for two flankers and a depression in the ground where the recumbent probably lay. Nether Coullie stone circle was listed in the 2011 RCAHS gazetteer as not being a recumbent stone circle but following careful inspection of archive records and another site inspection it was reclassified in 2015. Other stone circles investigated recently, but which have found to be modern, include Mill of Birkenbower and Holmhead.

No.	Name, parish	Condition Stones: S+F/T	Code	Diameter (metre)	Axis	Burl refs.	Canmore map/ ID Grid ref		Lat/ Long
-		data-sort-value="4"	gone 0+1/?	___	26	237°	-	NJ50NW 61 138717 NJ507071		57.1525°N -2.8162°W
Ap1, 65		data-sort-value="4"	gone 0+1/?	___	24		Ab84	NJ71NW 11 18657 NJ709156		57.2306°N -2.4823°W

References

Works cited

Book: Bradley . Richard . Richard Bradley (archaeologist). Phillips . Tim . Arrowsmith . Sharon . Ball . Chris . The Moon and the Bonfire: an investigation of three stone circles in north-east Scotland . 2005 . . 0903903334 . . – available online
Book: Bradley. Richard. Richard Bradley (archaeologist). Clarke. Amanda. Nimura. Courtney. Bradley. Richard. Richard Bradley (archaeologist). Excavations at Hillhead, Tarland, Aberdeenshire: a recumbent stone circle and its history. The Use and reuse of stone circles: Fieldwork at five Scottish monuments and its implications. https://books.google.com/books?id=jd0jDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA7. 30 September 2016. Oxbow Books. 978-1-78570-246-4. 7–26.
Book: Burl . Aubrey . Aubrey Burl. A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany . 1995 . Yale University Press . 0-300-06331-8 . registration. – the 2005 edition sems the same but with an additional appendix
Book: Burl . Aubrey . Aubrey Burl. The Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany . 2000 . Yale University Press . 0-300-08347-5. registration.
Coles . Frederick . Report on Stone Circles in Kincardineshire (North), and part of Aberdeenshire, with measured Plans and Drawings . Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland . 1900. First published 30-11-1900. 34. 1899 . 139–198 .
Coles . Frederick . Report on the Stone Circles of the North-East of Scotland, Inverurie District, with Measured Plans and Drawings . Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland . 1901. First published 30-11-1901. 35. 1900 . 187–248.
Coles . Frederick . Report on Stone Circles in Aberdeenshire (Inverurie, Eastern Parishes, and Insch Districts), with measured Plans and Drawings. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland . 1902. First published 30-11-1902. 36. 1901 . 488–581.
Coles . Frederick . Report on the Stone Circles of North-Eastern Scotland, chiefly in Auchterless and Forgue, with measured Plans and Drawings . Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland . 1903. First published 30-11-1903. 37 . 1902 . 82–142.
Coles . Frederick . Report on Stone Circles of the North-East of Scotland - the Buchan District - with measured Plans and Drawings . Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland . 1904. First published 30-11-1904. 38 . 1903 . 256–305.
Coles . Frederick . Record of (I) the Excavation of two Stone Circles in Kincardineshire: (1) in Garrol Wood, Durris; (2) in Glassel Wood, Banchory-Ternan; and (II) Report on Stone Circles in Aberdeenshire, with measured Plans and Drawings and (ii.) Report on stone circles in Aberdeenshire, with measured plans and drawings . Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland . 1905. First published 30-11-1905. 39 . 1904 . 190–218.
Coles . Frederick . Report on Stone Circles surveyed in the North-East of Scotland, chiefly in Banffshire, with measured Plans and Drawings. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland . 1906. First published 30-11-1906. 40 . 1905 . 164–206.
Book: Davidson . John . Inverurie and the earldom of the Garioch; a topographical and historical account of the Garioch from the earliest times to the revolution settlement . 1878 . David Douglas . Edinburgh .
Noble . Gordon . Adam Welfare, edited by Stratford Halliday. Great crowns of stone: the recumbent stone circles of Scotland . Antiquity . 2 January 2015 . 86 . 332 . 584–586 . 10.1017/S0003598X00063109.
Ó Nualláin . Seán. 1975 . The Stone Circle Complex of Cork and Kerry . . 105 . 83–131. 25508668.
Ritchie . James . Notes on some Stone Circles in Central Aberdeenshire . Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland . 1917 . First published 30-11-1917. 51 . 1916. 30–47 . 2056-743X.
Ritchie . James . Notes on some Stone Circles in the South of Aberdeenshire and North of Kincardineshire . Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland . 1919 . 53 . 1918. First published 30-11-1919. 2056-743X.
Ruggles . C. L. N. . Clive Ruggles. A New Study of the Aberdeenshire Recumbent Stone Circles, 1: Site Data . Journal for the History of Astronomy, Archaeoastronomy Supplement . 1984 . First published 30-11-1916. 15 . S55–S76 . 0142-7253 . 1984JHAS...15...55R.
Ruggles . C. L. N. . Clive Ruggles. Burl . H. A. W. . Aubrey Burl. A New Study of the Aberdeenshire Recumbent Stone Circles, 2: Interpretation . Journal for the History of Astronomy, Archaeoastronomy Supplement . 1985 . 16 . S25–S60 . 0142-7253 . 1985JHAS...16...25R.
Book: Welfare . Adam . Halliday. Stratford. Great Crowns of Stone: The Recumbent Stone Circles of Scotland . 2011 . . Edinburgh . 978-1-902419-55-8.
Book: Welfare . Adam . Great Crowns of Stone: The Recumbent Stone Circles of Scotland Gazetteer and Appendices. Halliday . Stratford . 2011a . RCAHMS. https://web.archive.org/web/20191211070433/https://www.historicenvironment.scot/media/4427/great-crowns-stone-illustrated-gazetteer.pdf. 11 December 2019. live. – only published online

Notes and References

Burl calls Aquhorthies "Auchquhorthies".
Web site: Carlin Stone, or Cairn Riv, stone circle, Backhill of Drachlaw (SM336) . . 2 June 2024 .
Burl calls Clune Wood "Raes o’Clune".
Burl calls Milleath "Gingomyres"
Burl calls Montgoldrum "The Camp".
Burl calls Nine Stanes "Garrol Wood".
Burl calls Ringing Stone "Arnhill".
Burl calls Tillyfourie "Whitehill".
Burl calls Tyrebagger "Dyce".