Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Warne, Charles
WARNE, CHARLES (1802–1887), archæologist, was born in Dorset in 1802. He became an intimate friend of Charles Roach Smith [q. v.], and in 1853 and 1854 he made archaæological tours in France, in company with Smith and Frederick William Fairholt [q. v.] At the time of his election as a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1856, and for some time afterwards, he was resident in London. He made extensive researches into the prehistoric remains of Dorset, and his splendid collection of sepulchral urns and other relics from the barrows is now in the museum at Dorchester. For a long time he resided at Ewell, near Epsom, but the later years of his life were spent at Brighton, where he died on 11 April 1887. Part of his collection of coins was sold by auction by Messrs. Sotheby, Wilkinson, & Hodge, on 24 and 25 May 1889 (Somerset and Dorset Notes and Queries, i. 225–6).
His works are: 1. ‘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, 4to. 2. ‘An Illustrated Map of Dorsetshire, giving the sites of its numerous Celtic, Roman, Saxon, and Danish Vestiges’ [1865]. In the preparation of this he spent fully two years in perambulating the county in the company of George Hillier [q. v.] 3. ‘Dorsetshire: its Vestiges, Celtic, Roman, Saxon, and Danish,’ London, 1865, 8vo. This work is also adapted as an index to No. 2. 4. ‘The Celtic Tumuli of Dorset,’ London, 1866, fol. 5. ‘On certain Ditches in Dorset called Belgic,’ London, 1869, 8vo, reprinted from the ‘Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries.’ 6. ‘Ancient Dorset: the Celtic, Roman, Saxon, and Danish Antiquities of the County, including the Early Coinage,’ Bournemouth, 1872, fol. He 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).
[Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries (1857), 2nd ser. xi. 372; Smith's Retrospections, i. 85, and indexes; Times, 3 May 1887 p. 11 col. 6, and 5 May p. 11 col. 4; Athenæum, 30 April 1887, p. 576; Mayo's Bibl. Dorsetiensis, pp. 19, 108.]