A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE man's burying places are known in Northamptonshire, nor have any traces of his dwelling places been found in the county, though it is possible that the camps at Borough Hill and Arbury Hill in Thenford parish and Rainsborough Camp might have been constructed in Neolithic times. All that we can say from his remains which have been found in this county is that he wandered about probably in somewhat scanty numbers. Judging from the positions of the finds of his weapons, etc., may we not conjecture that he proceeded much upon the same general lines as the exploring Englishman of to-day, that is, skirting the edges of the forests, keeping a good deal to the river courses, and avoiding as much as possible the colder districts .? The Bronze Age In this country the transition from the Stone to the Bronze age is marked by the occupation of Britain by a fresh race of men who invaded and conquered the Neolithic people, and who, if they did not actually bring the knowledge of bronze with them, were soon after in full possession of it. These men were taller than the preceding race, averaging for the adult man 5 feet 8 inches in height ; their skulls were rounder and their faces more angular ; they are supposed to be of Celtic origin, the first of successive waves of Celtic immigration. Among the objects that belong to the Bronze period are daggers, and later the leaf-shaped swords and spearheads, sickles and celts, which show a regular course of evolution from the oldest types to a highly effective socketed celt, as it is probable that the earliest bronze types were copied from the Neolithic stone celts. The Bronze age in Britain has been divided by Sir John Evans into three stages, the first of which is characterized by the flat or slightly flanged celts and knife daggers often found in barrows, with implements of stone. The second contains the heavier dagger blades and tanged spearheads and daggers. The third stage is represented by the presence of palstaves and socketed celts, and the leaf-shaped spear- heads and swords. In this last group he also places the hoards of broken bronze material which have been discovered in England, and which denote the trade of a travelling bronze smith. Judging by the number of these hoards and by the variety of form of the swords, spearheads, celts and other tools, he assigns a duration of about 500 years to this stage ; and the two earlier stages, he thinks, probably occupied an equal length, giving a total for the whole Bronze period in this country of some ten centuries, from B.C. 1200 or 1400 to B.C. 200-400. The pottery belonging to this age is that which is generally connected with burials ; it was all made by hand, and is usually grouped as follows : — (i) Cinerary urns, for holding the ashes of the dead after cre- mation. These vary in height from 5 inches to 30 inches, and differ considerably in form and ornamentation. Some have an overlapping 140
