Edinburgh's Runestone
The Swedish Runestone, designated U 1173 in the Rundata catalogue, is an 11th-century Swedish Viking Age runestone which was located in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, below Edinburgh Castle Esplanade, within a fenced enclosure adjacent to Ramsay Garden. Due to security concerns it was removed from its location in December 2017 and has been moved in 2020 to 50 George Square, Edinburgh just outside University of Edinburgh's Department of Scandinavian Studies. Originally from Lilla Ramsjö in present-day Morgongåva, Heby Municipality, it was donated to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 1787 by Sir Alexander  Seton of Preston and Ekolsund (1738 - 1814), and was presented to the Princes Street Proprietors by the Society in 1821. It is one of three Swedish runestones in Britain; the other two (U 104 & U 1160) are in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford in England. Carving. The carving on the stone features a centrally located cross, encircled by a serpent. The runic inscription is carved within the serpent, whose head and tail are linked with the cross' shaft. There are 18 runestones in Sweden which bear similar features and are believed to have been carved by a runemaster called Erik. There  are two additional crosses carved into the runestone - one on the right-hand edge of the stone, and one at the front of the stone, above the inscription, on the right-hand side. They do not exhibit the same level of craftsmanship and are believed to have been added later, perhaps in the 19th century.