Cortes

A possible recumbent stone circle is listed under this name by Burl and Ruggles (Burl 1970, 79; 1976a, 351, Abn 34; 2000, 420, Abn 33; Ruggles 1984, 58; 1999, 185, no. 4). It is attributed to a reference to a ‘Druid temple on the estate of Cortes’ in the New Statistical Account (xii, Aberdeenshire, 293). This, however, probably refers to the one on Cortie Brae (cf Barnatt 1989, 460 no. 6:120, 484 no. 6:k), which does not appear in Burl’s gazetteer. The New Statistical Account does not mention any other stone circles in the parish and in 1870 the Cortie Brae circle was the only one known to the OS surveyors and their informants (Aberdeenshire 1872, viii), by which time it comprised only three stones (Name Book, Aberdeenshire, No. 76, p 96). To add to the confusion, Rev John Pratt’s account of Buchan places the Druidical circle referred to in the New Statistical Account two miles south-west of Rathen Church (1858, 149) rather than on Cortie Brae to the south-east; this was compounded by Robert Anderson in revising the text for the 4th edition at the end of the century, for he adds that a single stone still marked the spot (Pratt 1901, 247). Like many such sources, the directions and distances should not be taken too literally – for example Trefor Hill is placed north-east of the church rather than north – and it is perhaps more telling that Cortie Brae otherwise escapes Pratt’s and Anderson’s notice. Indeed, Anderson is almost certainly referring to Cortie Brae, where in 1903 Coles found a single stone set upright (1904, 290–1). However, neither these remains nor the earlier accounts give any grounds to suggest that there was a circle with a recumbent setting on the Cortes estate.

Information from RCAHMS (ATW), 2011

HES surveyed Cortes stone circle with plane-table and alidade on 13 February 2018 at a scale of 1:100. GNSS data was also collected to record a section across the site. The resultant plan and section were redrawn in vector graphics software.