Report by Dr S. P. Needham — The British Museum — London

I was interested to have details of this new find although they are not very well broadcast through publications.

Diminutive examples are quite a regular feature of the early bronze age axe series.

They belong to a complex spectrum in which at one end are direct diminutives of standard axe types and at the other distinctive shapes that can be classed as chisels or axe chisels.

A small minority are known to come from burial contexts.

The shape and other features of the Warburton implement match well those of the latest flat axes, ( low flanged in Britain ) i.e those of the Willerby type.

I have no hesitation whatsoever in dating the Warburton implement to the Willerby stage circa 1900BC to 1700BC, this is also the period of the Bush barrow series of graves ( Wessex 1 ) one of which contains a full sized axe ( Bush barrow itself ) while three more contain similar diminutives to the Warburton axe.

It is a nice find and one which deserves a good record and indeed a museum home.