Runic inscription

Kuni · auk : Kari : raisþu · stin · efiR _  …r :
Han : uas : buta : bastr : i ruþi : hakunar

Gunni och Kåre reste sten efter ...r
Han var den bästa av bönder i Håkons rod

Gunni and Kåre erected a stone after ...r
He was the best of the farmers in Håkon's row

History

This lost runestone was drawn in 1676 by Leitz.

Strange details such as the design of the dragon's head, the distorted shape of the cross and the very uneven spacing between the runes make it difficult for me to believe that Leitz really saw the runestone's ornamentation clearly.

The part of the runic inscription "best of farmers in Håkon's rod" is really exciting because then the runestone has a connection in some way with runestone U 11 in Hovgården which also mentions rod "... ToliR bryte in rod.."

Where is the runestone today?

I can see three options.

1). The runestone lies fallen with the carving facing the ground, waiting to be found. Unfortunately, this is not the most likely but most desirable.

2). It has been used as a bridge over a ditch or/and then ended up underground during a trench cover. Probably the most likely option, but then it will probably take a long time before it is found.

3). It has been crushed into smaller pieces which have then been used as building material for chimneys, basements and house foundations. The second most likely and most common way that we have lost our runestones.
To the advantage of this runestone is that there is still plenty of natural angular stone in the area and that fragments of the destroyed runestone often appear or can be seen visible in buildings but none have yet been found after U 16 so there is hope that it is still somewhere in the area.

Where should we look?

In the Runic inscriptions of Uppland (Upplands runinskrifter) there are a few clues... unfortunately a little different but it's always something.

1630 - Bureus indicates the location: "On Ekerön near Nybla". (Nibbla)

1676 - Hadorph says it is located at: "Nybbele (Nibbla) by the public road." He adds: "above here are many strange ancestral mounds...".

1680 - Peringskiöld: "it stands west of the rectory" (the priest farm)

1850: Dahlgren says it was lying fallen on Älby's property west of the highway. He also says that previous reports that it was on Nibble's property are incorrect.
 

Do you see what I see?
All the properts have their own runestone except Nyckelby… and Nyckelby has the only (perhaps common) burial ground that could fit Hadorph's description from 1676: "above here are many strange ancestral mounds..."

Even Dahlgren's addition makes Nyckelby a more likely location.

The runestone is there... somewhere...
 

Links

Upplands runinskrifter > Page 24
(Only Swedish)

Runor >  The National Antiquities Board (Riksantikvarieämbetet)
(Mostly Swedish)
 

ALL RUNESTONES

Ekerö municipality

ADELSÖ >
has 5 known runestones

BIRKA >
has fragments from 9 known runestones

MUNSÖ >
has 3 or 4 known runestones

EKERÖ >
has 11 known runestones

FÄRINGSÖ >
has 27 known runestones

LOVÖ >
has 8 known runestones