little_cyclone
Loyal Civ4 & C2C mod player
yes, when i don't work them they say "must be worked to grow", and when i do work them, they stay on "15 turns to grow to hamlet" eternally
[EDIT:] i just checked, and confirmed they start to grow as soon as i switch from caste to tribal.
May want to check all your civics, maybe caste in combination with something else you have is severely hampering your cottage growth?