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A HISTORY OF WARWICKSHIRE

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 22C