A HISTORY OF SURREY 



in an elaborated form upon shields, on which we find concentric rings 

 with a large number of small knobs or pellets between them. 



Socketed celts appear to have been evolved by a very natural 

 process from flanged palstaves. The original flat celt was a kind 

 of axe, derived, as far as form is concerned, from the neolithic celt, 

 and fitted at right angles, or nearly so, to the handle. In the course 

 of time a lateral stop was introduced, and from this circumstance 

 apparently sprang the idea of fitting the implement at the end of a long 



handle like that of the modern weeding 

 spud. In this way the palstave was invented, 

 and in order to attach it securely to its 

 handle, so that it might not be accidentally 

 lost, a loop was added to it. 



The next development was to increase 

 the flanges of the palstave in such a way (as 

 is seen in a fragmentary specimen in the 

 Chelsham bronze hoard) as to form what 

 were practically two sockets. 



The next step was the removal of the 

 partition between these two sockets, and the 

 implement approached very closely to and 

 in fact became the socketed celt of which 

 so many excellent specimens have been 

 found in Surrey. 



Bronze spearheads have been found in 

 Surrey at Kingston, Ditton, Battersea and 

 in the neighbourhood of Croydon. The 

 spearhead from the last-named locality is a 

 magnificent specimen, no less than 31^ 

 inches long, although more than an inch 

 of the point is missing, and a| inches 

 broad at the broadest part. It is in the 

 possession of Mr. I. J. Coleman, and was 

 exhibited at a meeting of the Society of 

 Antiquaries of London on May 2, 1901 1 ; 

 but the exact spot where it was found, for 

 obvious reasons, has not been made public. 

 A weapon of these proportions can hardly 

 have been intended for military purposes, 

 and it has been suggested that it was 

 intended for state or ceremonial use. 



In addition to the bronze sword found 

 in the Wickham Park (Croydon) hoard, a 

 broken example was found in the bed of 

 the Thames at Runnymede, and others have been found in the river 

 Thames, as has already been stated. 



1 Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, ser. z, xviii. 352. 



244 



BRONZE RAPIER-BLADE, 

 DITTON. 



