Charles Warne (1802 – 11 April 1887) was an English

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

and archaeologist who specialized in the prehistoric and ancient monuments of

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

Life

Born in

, with the poet William Barnes he was involved in protecting the Maumbury Rings which resulted in their statutory protection from the route of the proposed Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway Act 1845 ( 8 & 9 Vict. c. liii). This was the first time an antiquity was saved from being damaged by a proposed train route as a result of the actions of local protestors.Clarke, John M. London's Necropolis: A Guide to Brookwood Cemetery, Sutton Publishing (2004), p. 118 He became a close friend of Charles Roach Smith and in 1853 and 1854 he made archaeological tours in France with Smith and Frederick William Fairholt. Warne published accounts of his archaeological discoveries between 1836 and 1872 many of which were based on his own research and fieldwork. Elected as a Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

in 1856, Warne was then and for some time afterwards a resident of London. He made researches into the prehistoric remains of Dorset. Then for a long time he lived at Ewell,

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

; the last years of his life were spent at

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, where he died on 11 April 1887.

Legacy

During his lifetime Warne amassed a large collection of English and Roman coins part of which was sold by Messrs. Sotheby, Wilkinson, & Hodge, on 24 and 25 May 1889, two years after his death. Warne's collection of sepulchral urns and other relics from barrows went to Dorchester Museum. His grave in Brookwood Cemetery is designed to resemble a prehistoric barrow with the upright stone being made from serpentinite.

Works

Warne's works were: * ''On the Discovery of Roman Remains on Kingston Down, near Bere Regis, Dorset; and the Identification of the Site as the Station of Ibernium on the Icknield Street'', London, 1836. * ''An Illustrated Map of Dorsetshire, giving the sites of its numerous Celtic, Roman, Saxon, and Danish Vestiges'' 865 He spent two years walking the county in the company of George Hillier to prepare it. * ''Dorsetshire: its Vestiges, Celtic, Roman, Saxon, and Danish'', London. This work also served as an index to the map. * ''The Celtic Tumuli of Dorset'', London, 1866. * ''On certain Ditches in Dorset called Belgic'', London, 1869, reprinted from the ''Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries''. * ''Ancient Dorset: the Celtic, Roman, Saxon, and Danish Antiquities of the County, including the Early Coinage'', Bournemouth, 1872. Warne also contributed "Observations on Vespasian's first Campaign in Britain" to '' Archæologia'' (xl. 387), and "Archæological Notes made during a Tour in France" to Charles Roach Smith's ''Retrospections'' (vol. ii. 1886).

References

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Warne, Charles 1802 births 1887 deaths English antiquarians Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London People from Dorset English archaeologists Burials at Brookwood Cemetery