EARLY MAN
The prehistoric antiquities found in Warwickshire can hardly be said to equal in number or importance those which have been discovered in many of the other English counties. But this perhaps may be attributed partly to the fact that they have not been so carefully and persistently searched for here as elsewhere. It is to be regretted moreover that of those antiquities which have been found few with anything like a clear or intelligible pedigree are now accessible.
Dugdale notices a few discoveries of neolithic and bronze age objects,[1] and several collectors in more recent times have brought together a number of antiquities which, if accompanied by precise records of the locality and circumstances of each discovery, would be of great value in determining the story of early man in the county. Unfortunately these precise details are wanting. The collections of the late Mr. M. H. Bloxam, F.S.A., are well-known as having contained objects illustrative of prehistoric times in Warwickshire. These collections are now in the Art Museum of Rugby School, but they must be pronounced somewhat disappointing for the purposes of this article. It is to be regretted also that some of the prehistoric antiquities in the museum at Warwick, particularly those of the bronze age, are unlabelled, and it is doubtful whether the place of their discovery will ever be ascertained.
The period covered by this section extends from the earliest trace of man or man's handiwork until the appearance of the Romans in Britain, and may conveniently be divided into (i.) palæolithic age, (ii.) neolithic age, (iii.) bronze age, and (iv.) prehistoric iron age.
The Palæolithic Age
The palæolithic age, unlike the succeeding prehistoric ages, is separated from our own times by something more than a very long interval of time. There have been considerable physical changes in the country itself, for Great Britain and Ireland were then parts of the continent of Europe.
As far as Warwickshire itself is concerned, there is not a great deal of material bearing upon this remote age. As has been stated, some of the collections which might have furnished illustrations of this period are not in a condition to supply positive evidence. But the numerous finds in adjoining counties suggest that Warwickshire, if more fully
- ↑ The Antiquities of Warwickshire (1656).
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