Recumbent stone circles are found mostly 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

+ List of circles categorised as recumbentNo. Name,parish ConditionStones: S+F/T Code Diameter (metre) Axis Burlrefs. Canmoremap/ IDGrid ref Lat/ Long 1 Aikey Brae,Old Deer ruin5+5/11 wRE 16.5x15 185.5° Ab90 Ab1 NJ94NE 420571NJ958470 2 Aquhorthies, Banchory-Devenick good15+0/18 WR_ 25x23.5 174° Ki165 Ki2Burl calls Aquhorthies "Auchquhorthies". NO99NW 137186NO901963 3 Ardlair, Kennethmont ruin5+3/9 WRE 11 159° Ab91 Ab2 NJ52NE 417641NJ552279 4 Ardtannes Cottages, Inverurie gone0+0/? ___ - NJ72SE 3418906NJ757204 5 Auchlee, Banchory-Devenick ruin25+5/13 _R_ 20 Ki1 NO89NE 437069NO890968 6 Auchmachar, Old Deer gone3+2/9 wrE 15 Ab4 NJ95SW 1120746NJ948502 7 Auchmaliddie, New Deer gone0+2/? wr_ - Ab5 NJ84SE 119879NJ881448 8 Balnacraig, Lumphanan gone3+2/13or14 _R_ 29 224° Ab8 NJ60SW 518024NJ603035 9 Balquhain, Chapel of Garioch ruin6+4/14 WR_ 21 190° Ab94 Ab9 NJ72SW 218989NJ735240 10 Bankhead, Clatt gone0+1/10+ ___ 23 Ab27 NJ52NW 2517663NJ529269 11 Bellman's Wood, Marnoch gone0+2/? ___ 6.9 Ba1 NJ65SW 418427NJ604504 12 Berrybrae, Lonmay ruin5+0/10 WRE 13x10.7 231° Ab95 Ab10 NK05NW 221099NK027571 13 Binghill, Peterculter gone3+5/10+ wRe 11.3 187° Ab11 NJ80SE 1619377NJ855023 14 Blue Cairn of Ladieswell, Logie Coldstone ruin3+5/10 _R_ 23 207° Ab12 NJ40NW 417000NJ411063 15 Braehead, Leslie gone1+0/? _R_ - Ab14 NJ52NE 617643NJ592255 16 Cairn Riv, Inverkeithny gone2+0/? _R_ 30+? Ab20 NJ64NE 418323NJ674465 17 Cairnton, Forgue gone2+0/? WR_ - Ab22 NJ54SE 117855NJ585446 18 Candle Hill, Insch ruin1+7/9or10 wre 15.5 163.5° Ab23 NJ52NE 1017615NJ599299 19 Castle Fraser, Cluny good7+3/10 WRE 20.5 203° Ab97 Ab25 NJ71SW 318719NJ715125 20 The Cloch, Benholm unc.1+0/? _R_ - Ki6 NO76NE 136304NO781679 21 Clune Wood, Durris ruin7+2/9 WRE 17.5x16.7 183° Ki18Burl calls Clune Wood "Raes o’Clune". NO79SE 236696NO794949 22 Colmeallie, Edzell gone7+6/14 _rE 17 202.5° An7 NO57NE 335145NO565781 23 Corrie Cairn, Tullynessle and Forbes unc.2+0/? _R_ 18.9? Ab30 NJ52SE 1317683NJ552205 24 Corrstone Wood, Auchindoir and Kearn gone1+6/17+ Wre 28 Ab31 NJ52NW 217657NJ510271 25 Corrydown, Auchterless ruin1+6/? wR_ 23 186° Ab32 NJ74SW 1119197NJ706444 26 Cothiemuir Wood, Keig ruin7+1/13- WRE 20 200° Ab98 Ab34 NJ61NW 118055NJ617198 27 Druidstone, Premnay ruin5+6/? w_e 14.5 199° Ab42 NJ62SW 418213NJ615221 28 Dunnideer, Insch gone3+0/? WRE - Ab44 NJ62NW 418161NJ608284 29 Easter Aquhorthies, Inverurie good12+0/12 WRE 20x18.5 195.5° Ab102 Ab46 NJ72SW 1218981NJ732207 30 Eslie the Greater, Banchory-Ternan ruin9+0/12 WRE 24 176° Ki169 Ki11 NO79SW 236714NO717915 31 Frendraught, Forgue gone1+7/? _R_ 22x20 Ab50 NJ64SW 618370NJ610428 32 Gaval, Old Deer gone1+0/? ___ - Ab53 NJ95SE 320734NJ980515 33 The Gray Stone of Clochforbie, King Edward gone0+1/? _r_ - Ab28 NJ75NE 119227NJ796586 34 Hatton of Ardoyne, Oyne good5+4/13+ _RE 27x25 219.5° Ab59 NJ62NE 718125NJ659267 35 Hill of Fiddes, Foveran gone2+0/10 WR_ 14 Ab61 NJ92SW 120401NJ935243 36 Hill of Milleath, Cairnie gone0+0/? ___ 23.7 Ab54Burl calls Milleath "Gingomyres" NJ44SE 917326NJ467429 37 Inschfield, Insch gone1+2/? _rE 23.5 Ab67 NJ62NW 618167NJ623293 38 Kirkton of Bourtie, Bourtie ruin5+0/10or11 _RE 22 Ab105 Ab68 NJ8ZSW 219708NJ800248 39 Loanend, Premnay gone2+0/? _R_ 25 Ab70 NJ62SW 118190NJ604242 40 Loanhead of Daviot, Daviot good11+0/11 WRE 21 200° Ab106 Ab71 NJ72NW 118789NJ747288 41 Loudon Wood, Old Deer ruin4+3/10or11 WRe 19.6x17.5 194° Ab108 Ab74 NJ94NE 120538NJ960497 42 Mains of Hatton, Auchterless ruin2+7/12+ _R_ 23x21 165° Ab75 NJ64SE 618357NJ699425 43 Midmar Kirk, Midmar OK8+0/11 WRE 17 231° Ab109 Ab78 NJ60NE 318001NJ699064 44 Millplough, Arbuthnott gone1+0/? _R_ 20- Ki15 NO87NW 636819NO819754 45 Montgoldrum,The Camp, Arbuthnott gone3+2/? _r_ 23 179° Ki5Burl calls Montgoldrum "The Camp". NO87NW 536818NO816772 46 Nether Dumeath, Glass gone2+4/12 ___ 11 Ab85 NJ43NW 717280NJ425378 47 Netherton of Logie, Crimond ruin11+17/15? WRE 17 185° Ab86 NK05NW 321100NK043572 48 New Craig, Daviot gone4+1/? WRE 22+ Ab87 NJ72NW 318811NJ745296 49 The Nine Stanes, Garrol, Banchory-Ternan ruin9+1/11 Wre 18.5x15.5 157.5° Ki171Ki13Burl calls Nine Stanes "Garrol Wood". NO79SW 836748NO723912 50 North Strone, Alford good5+13/18 wrE 18.5 180° Ab110 Ab88 NJ51SE 217588NJ584138 51 Old Keig, Keig ruin4+4/? WRE 27 212.5° Ab111 Ab89 NJ51NE 217530NJ596193 52 Old Kirk of Tough, Cluny ruin2+0/11? ___ 25? Ab6 NJ60NW 118006NJ625092 53 Old Rayne, Rayne ruin1+7/10+ ___ 26.5? 195° Ab112 Ab90 NJ62NE 118081NJ679279 54 Pitglassie, Auchterless ruin1+1/12- _R_ 18 Ab91 NJ64SE 818359NJ686434 55 Potterton, Belhelvie gone1+2/? wRe - Ab92 NJ91NE 720294NJ952163 56 The Ringing Stone, Cairnie gone1+5/? _R_ 18.3 188.5° Ab92Ab3Burl calls Ringing Stone "Arnhill". NJ54NW 1217827NJ531454 57 Rothiemay, Rothiemay ruin5+0/12or14 _R_ 28 216.5° Ba134 Ba13 NJ54NE 620294NJ550487 58 St Brandan's Stanes, Boyndie gone2+3/? W_E - Ba14 NJ66SW 118495NJ607610 59 South Fornet, Skene ruin2+6/? W_E 26.8 Ab100 NJ71SE 118687NJ782109 60 South Ley Lodge, Kintore gone3+0/? WRE 16.5? or 29.6? Ab101 NJ71SE 318705NJ766132 61 Stonehead, Insch ruin3+0/? WRE 19x16? Ab103 NJ62NW 518166NJ601286 62 Strichen House, Strichen OK9+1/10 WRE 15.4x12.8 161° Ab116 Ab105 NJ95SW 220754NJ936544 63 Sunhoney, Midmar good11+1/12 WrE 25 231° Ab117 Ab106 NJ70NW 5518543NJ715057 64 Tillyfourie, Monymusk ruin4+9/13 WRe 20 203° Ab120Burl calls Tillyfourie "Whitehill". NJ61SW 318074NJ643135 65 Tilquhillie, Banchory-Ternan gone1+1/? ___ - Ki19 NO79SW 1036704NO725940 66 Tomnagorn, Midmar ruin7+5/12 WRE 21 202.5° Ab118 Ab108 NJ60NE 117999NJ651077 67 Tomnaverie, Coull OK11+0/13 wre 17 235.5° Ab119 Ab109 NJ40SE 117006NJ486034 68 Tyrebagger, Dyce good10+1/11 WRE 18.5 178.5° Ab101Ab45Burl calls Tyrebagger "Dyce". NJ40SE 1119513NJ859132 69 Wantonwells, Insch gone1+1/? _Re - Ab115 NJ62NW 218139NJ618272 70 Wester Echt, Echt ruin3+0/? W__ 23 Ab118 NJ70NW 218534NJ738083 71 Yonder Bognie, Forgue ruin6+3/12- WRe 22x18 182.5° Ab122 Ab122 NJ64NW 1518335NJ600457

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 ConditionStones: S+F/T Code Diameter (metre) Axis Burlrefs. Canmoremap/ IDGrid ref Lat/ Long - Hillhead,Tarland gone0+1/? ___ 26 237° - NJ50NW 61138717NJ507071 Ap1, 65 Nether Coullie,Monymusk gone0+1/? ___ 24 Ab84 NJ71NW 1118657NJ709156

See also List of axial multiple-stone circles List of axial five-stone circles

Notes for table

Notes for introduction

References Citations

Works cited – available online

– the 2005 edition sems the same but with an additional appendix

– only published online