Because Aberdeen is an eastern coastal town the 26-mile (42 km) line of stones only encircled it to the west.

One line of outer stones ran along the outer boundary of the Freedom Lands and a second line, the inner stones, was added in the early 19th century, marking the division of the royalty from the Freedom Lands.

The inhabitants of the Royal Burgh of Aberdeen had sheltered King Robert the Bruce and supported him militarily in 1308 at the Battle of Barra so in 1313 he granted the burgh burgesses custodianship of the Royal Forest of the Stocket, an extensive area of rough land just to the west of the town.

[3] Six years later Bruce granted Aberdeen ownership rights over the Royal Burgh and Forest of Stocket for an annual rent, or feu, of £213 6s 8d pound Scots.

[4][note 2] The city burgesses later purchased three other areas of land: Rubislaw (bought 1379), Cruives, now Woodside (1405) and Gilcomston (1680).

This greatly ceremonial practice had its origins in ensuring the boundaries were not being encroached upon by neighbouring landowners.

Any large earthfast stones might have incorporated saucer shapes filled with lead sometimes embossed with the city's seal or might have a contained a varied number of holes.

The inner line of stones marks a smaller area: the boundary of the crofts immediately around the medieval Royal Burgh of Aberdeen.