A HISTORY OF WARWICKSHIRE 



The contents of two bronze age barrows from the collection of the 

 late Mr. M. H. Bloxam are preserved in the School Museum at Rugby. 

 One at Oldbury, near Atherstone, was opened in 1835, when a sepulchral 

 urn of usual type with ornament produced by parallel incised lines, and 

 two smaller vessels, possibly a food vessel and drinking cup, were found. 

 The other was discovered during the work of constructing the Birming- 

 ham and London railway at a point about a quarter of a mile to the west 

 of Brandon station. Here also three vessels of pottery were found. 



THE PREHISTORIC IRON AGE 



The last age of the prehistoric period begins with the introduction 

 of the use of iron and ends with the appearance of the Romans on our 

 shores. It has been called the prehistoric iron age, but the term is not 

 strictly accurate, because although iron had come to be used for many 

 purposes for which hardness and sharpness were desirable qualities, 

 bronze was still used for personal ornaments, horse trappings, etc. 

 Moreover, a new fashion of decorative art arose, based probably upon 

 natural floral or foliage forms, and consisting of various combinations of 

 spiral and trumpet-like shapes. This style of decoration, which was 

 often executed in enamel on bronze and assumed a very remarkable 

 development in this country and elsewhere, is what has been called Late 

 Celtic art. 



The prehistoric antiquities found in Warwickshire include some 

 good examples of this art. They consist of five circular and slightly convex 



BRONZE Discs FROM CHKSTERTON-ON-FOSSWAY. 



discs of bronze ornamented with spiral and enamelled work. They were 

 found at Chesterton-on-Fossway and are now in the museum at Warwick. 

 There are two types of ornament employed, but both, as will be seen 



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