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BERKSHIRE
B E R K S H IR E , com m only called B erks, is a southern in ­
land shire, on the south bank of th e navigable Tham es,
which form s its northern boundary m ark, and in the
valley of which it lies, approaching w ith in 20 m iles of
London, and is about m idw ay between th e m outh of
the Tham es and the B ristol Channel. Th e cou n ty is
o f v ery irre g u la r shape, w ith its g rea test le n g th of 43
m iles from east to west, and w ith its g rea test b readth
of 30 m iles from north to south at th e w estern end.
T h e area was origin ally 462,224 acres, b u t by the
“ L o cal G overnm ent Board’s Provisional O rders Confir­
m ation (No. 12) A ct,” which cam e into operation
Sep tem ber 30, 1895, the B erkshire portion of Shalbourn
parish was transferred to W ilts, the W ilts p art of
H ungerford added to B erks, and the parish of Com be
added from Hants.
B y the R eading (E xtension) O rder, 1911, w hich cam e
into operation N ovem ber 9th, 1911, p art of Caversham ,
Oxon, c iv il parish was transferred to B erkshire A d ­
m in istrative C ou n ty.
T h e area of A dm inistrative
cou nty and cou nty borough of R eading is now 43-6,834
acres

given forth w hich can be heard six m iles off. The
E n g lish .held B erkshire as p art of the kingdom of
W essex, but is was som etim es under the M id-E nglish .
Th e W hite Horse, w hich is the figure of a horse cu t
out of the tu rf on the side of the chalk h ills, and le ft
w hite, is by m ost th ou g h t to have been done by the
old E n g lish ; it m ay be seen from a distance of fifteen
m iles and gives nam e to the h ill in w h ich it is cu t
and to the adjoining valley. B erk sh ire was invaded by
the Danes, w ith whom several b attles w ere fou g h t, a
v e ry fam ous one a t Ashdow n, in w h ich E th elred and
A lfred the G reat beat th e Danes. T h e b attle of E th an dane, in w h ich A lfred defeated th e Danes, is also
th ou g h t to have been fou gh t in B erkshire. D u rin g the
m iddle ages freq uen t forays took place in th is county,
but of its m any castles few re m a in : of W allin gford and
Donnington th ere are rem ains.
In the P a rlia m en tary w ars m ost of th e B erkshire
towns were the scenes of conflict. Two g re a t battles
were fou gh t a t N ew bu ry in 1643 and 1644. Reading
was besieged and ta k e n ; A bingdon, W indsor C astle
and Donnington w ere attacked.
A t Abingdon and Reading w ere large Benedictine
The population in 1831 was 146,234; in 1841, 161,759;
in 1851, 170,065; in 1861, 176,256; in 1871, 196,475; establishm ents ric h ly endowed, of w hich the abbots
in 1881, 218,263; *n *891, 238,709; in igox, 252,571; were m itred . O f these fine b uildin gs there are ex ten ­
an d a t th e tim e of tak in g the 1911 census, 271,009, but sive r e m a in s ; those of the G re y F ria ry at Reading
b y the addition previously m entioned is now 280,794, are converted into a ch u rch called G r e y fr ia rs ; o f the
Benedictine m onastery at H urley some rem ain s are to
v iz ., m ales, 136,345; fem ales, 144,449.
T h e Isis, or T ham es, divides i t on the north from be seen.
A vin gton is a v ery an cien t ch urch , said to be Old
O xfordshire and B u ck in gh a m sh ire; on the south-east
it is bounded by S u rrey, on the south b y H am pshire, E n glish or N o rm an ; there are also specim ens of N orm an
and on the west by W iltshire. T here is m uch wood­ in S t. N icholas church, A bingdon, and in W ilford ch urch .
Th e m ain riv er is the Tham es, on the northern
land, in which grow hazel, oak, ash, beech and alder.
T h e southern p art of the cou n ty rises to the ch alk border, w hich bears la rg e c ra ft th rou ghout its len gth
rang e, b ut in the w est the oolite begins. T he great to London and the sea, and b y canal opens th e way
ch alk range runs throu gh the m iddle of th e w est to to W iltsh ire, B ristol, G loucestersh ire, O xford, B irm in g ­
The
the south of W allingford, and joins the C h ilte rn H ills ham , the M idland C oun ties and the N o rth .
and M arlborough Downs. Inkpen Beacon is the h igh est Tham es, from its w in din g course, has a w aterw ay
point of the chalk in the county, being 1,011 feet in between Lechlade and W indsor of 110 m iles, and passes
h eight. The B erkshire Downs rise a t W h ite H orse H ill Oxford, Abingdon, W allin gford1, R eading, H enley (O xon),
M arlow (B ucks), M aidenhead and W indsor. T his river
to 893 feet high.
Berkshire seem s, like m ost of the southern shires, to for its en tire le n g th is p opularly called th e T ham es,
have com e into the possession of the Belgians before but its proper nam e is the Isis until' i t receives the
th e Rom an period, b y the expulsion of the W elsh or sm aller stream the Tham e, w hich, flowing by Dor­
C elts. Ju liu s Caesar found the cou n try in the power of chester (O xon), join s th e Isis betw een D ay’s lock and
the A trib ates, thou gh perhaps the B ibroci and Segon- Shillin gford Bridge. A m on g its fish are trou t, barbel,
tiaci had also settlem ents w ith in its bounds. Berkshire pike, eels, carp, tench, chub, roach, dace and crayfish.
had several Rom an towns, stations and roads. Spinae Between the ch alk downs in the w est and the Tham es
(Speen, near N ew bu ry), is the only well-known station. runs its feeder, a sm all riv er 20 m iles lon g, called the
T here are cam ps and walls of various ages at W a llin g ­ O ck, fallin g into the Tham es a t Abingdon.
Th e Ken n et is the chief riv er of S ou th B e r k s ; it
ford— Uffington castle on the top of W hite Horse H ill;
S agb u ry C astle, on Letcom be D ow n s; H ardw ell Cam p, rises in W iltsh ire, passes b y H ungerford, A vin gton,
K
in
tb u ry (K en n etb ury) and N ew bu ry, w here the L am near U ffington; S h erb u ry Cam p, near
F a rin g d o n ;
Caesar’s Cam p, on B agshot H e a th ; A shbury Cam p, or bourne, w hich rises a t L am bourn , falls in ; it a fte r­
Alfred’s C astle, near Lam bourn and also cam ps on wards receives the Em borne, or A m bu rn , and falls into
Sinodun H ill and Badbury H ill. M any of the hills have the T h am es a t Reading. T h e K en n et is navigable for
barrows in them and some seem to have crom lechs. about 20 m iles, from N ew bu ry to R ea d in g ; i t has
On the chalk hills near L am bourn are some rem arkable some fine tro u t and oth er fish. Th e E raborne rises in
piles of large stones, one of which is called W ayland the parish of Inkpen and form s the H am pshire boundary
S m ith ’s C ave, b a t w hich some m aintain to have been of the cou n ty for about 15 m ile s ; the B lackw ater form s
habitations of the ancient W elsh. A t K ingston Lisle, a portion of th e southern Boundary. T h e Loddon rises
near L am bo u m , is a curious stone, called a blowing in H am pshire, and flows th rou gh E ast B erks in to the
stone, bored, and on b low ing into w hich a sound is Tham es below Reading. B esides the n avigation of th e
BERKS.

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