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152

READ IN G.

B E R K S H IR E .

an answer from S ir A rth u r A ston th at “ he would
starve or die in i t ; ” operations were then com m enced,
and E ssex havin g taken a fortification at Mapledurham and another at C aversham H ill, which gave
him the com m and of the town, it was m uch battered
by the s h o t; it however held out, b ut the governor
h avin g sustained severe in ju ry by the falling of a brick,
the com m and was transferred to Colonel F ieldin g, and
the garrison havin g at len gth exhausted their am m un i­
tion, held out a flag of truce, at w hich ju n ctu re Prince
R upert and the K in g , who had m arched from Oxford
to th eir relief, engaged the besiegers on Caversham
B ridge, but a fter a severe struggle w ere d efea ted ; the
K in g then retired to C aversham House, and the town
surrendered upon the term s of the garrison being p er­
m itted to m arch out w ith th eir colours, arm s and
baggage to join the K in g 's troops at Oxford. The town
continued afterw ards to be garrisoned at intervals by
both the contending parties. In 1663, when Charles II.
passed through Reading, the Corporation presented the
K in g, Queen and their servants w ith sums of m o n e y :
in 1688 a skirm ish took place in the streets between the
Scots and Irish of Jam es II. and the troops of the
Prince of O range, known as the “ R eading figh t,” in
which the form er w ere beaten, and le ft the town in
the hands of the D utch tro o p s: this affair is still
celebrated annually by the rin g in g of bells on Dec.
21st. Queen Anne visited the town in 1702 and received
from the m u n icip ality 40 pieces of gold.

[ k e l l i ’s

in one hand and a quadrant in the other, w ith the
in scrip tio n :
“ Johannes B lagravius,
Totus m athem aticus,
Cum m atre s ep u ltu s: ”

a figure in ruff and hat, kneeling at a desk, com­
m em orates M artha, wife of Charles H am ley, ob. 1636;
there are a few m em orials to the H ungerfords of W ilts ;
a m ural m onum ent to Richard Fvnnem ore, ob. 1664;
and brasses to E dw ard Butler, gent, five tim es m ayor
of Reading, ob. 1584, and Alice his w ife, 1583; John
Kent, burgess, and Joan his w ife, w ith half-effigies, c.
1415 ; and W alter Barton, gent. 1538, churchwarden in
1509; the last is a palim psest brass, havin g on the
reverse the effigy of Sir John Popham knt. a distin ­
guished soldier of the reign of Henry V. ; and there are
several deposited sto n es; on the south side of the chancel
are m em orial vin dow s to Charles L am b, and to Henry
and Rachel, the children of the Hon. Mr. J u stice Talfourd, dated 1848; the west window under the tower is a
m em orial to Archbishop Laud, a native of the parish
and g rea t benefactor to the town, containing also figures
of Henry I. founder of the ab b ey; Henry V II. founder
of the G ram m ar S ch ool; Sir Thom as W hite, founder of
St. John's, O xford; and Charles I. the g iv er of the
principal charter to the to w n ; on the south side of
the tower arch, placed in a niche, is a statue of
Richard V alp y D.D. m any years m aster of the G ram m ar
School, who died 28th M arch, 1836; on the south side
The church of St. G iles, standing on the east side of is an ancient sun -dial: th ere are 750 sittin gs. The
Southam pton street, is a b u ild in g of flint and stone, in register dates from the year 1605, b ut the church­
m ixed styles, consisting of chancel, nave of four bays, wardens’ accounts com m ence as early as 1430.
The
aisles, south porch ana a battlem ented western tower livin g is a vicarage, net yearly value ¿25 9, w ith resi­
surm ounted by a slender stone spire, and containing a dence, in the g ift of the Bishop of Oxford, and held
clock and 8 b e lls ; there are 10 stained windows, and a since 1898 by the Rev. Robert PeTceval Newhouss M .A.
brass to John Bowyer, tanner, 1521, and Joan his w ife : of W orcester College, Oxford, rural dean of Reading
the church suffered m u ch from the artillery of the and surrogate.
The church estate produces ¿200
besiegers d u rin g th e C ivil W ar, and until a few years yearly.
since was som ewhat inconvenient and u n sig h tly,' but
St. M ary’s church, a structure faced w ith flint and
was com pletely restored and enlarged in 1873 at a ashlar, in chequers, stands at the end of M inster street,
tota l cost of ¿10,660, and now affords 1,200 sittings. on a spot once occupied b y a nunnery, founded by
The register dates from the year 1564. There is a E lfrid a, m other-in-law of E dw ard the M a r ty r ; the
fund of about ¿250 yearly from house prop erty for the church, origin ally th at of the nunnery, retains a rep uted
m aintenance of the fab ric of the church. The livin g is Saxon doorway, but was rebuilt in 1551, from m aterials
a rectory and vicara g e, net income ¿300, w ith resi­ obtained from th e ruins of the ab b ey; and in 1594 the
dence, in the g ift of th e Bishop of Oxford, and held tower was rebuilt, after havin g been destroyed, w ith
since 1911 by the Rev. F itzw illiam John C arter G illm or its spire, in a gale : the church now consists of chancel,
M .A. of Oxford U niversity.
nave of four bays, aisles, transepts, south chantry,
south porch, vestry, and an em battled -western tower
St. A gnes church, in S ilver street, attached to St. 90 feet high, w ith pinnacles at the angles, and contain­
G iles's, is a small edifice of brick and will seat 200, in g 8 bells and a clo c k : the chancel has a Perpendicular
and is served by the clergy of S t. G iles's.
open tim b er Toof and the nave is of an early c h a ra c te r;
S t. M ichael and A ll A ngels (tem porary) church, in the Perpendicular font was given by th e V ach ell fam ily
E lga r road, is also attached to S t. G iles's, and was in 1616 and has a pyram idal crocketed cover, provided
at a cost of ¿ 1 3 0 ; the arcade dividin g the nave and
erected in 1899 at a cost of ¿ 1,7 5 0 .
south aisle has sem icircular arches sprin gin g from
St. Lu ke's is an ecclesiastical parish, formed in 19x2 : circular colu m n s; on the north side of the chancel is
the church, on the Redlands estate, b uilt in 1885, at a an E aster sepulchre of early work, and a m onum ent of
cost of ¿9.070, is a structure of red brick in the Italian black and gold, w ith effigies, to W illiam K en drick and
style, consistin g of chancel, nave of five bays, v estry, his wife, 1635: th e steps to the rood lo ft are b u ilt up
transepts, aisles and an eastern bell-cot containing one in the south wall of the chancel a r c h ; all the w indows,
bell. The registers date from the year 1878 for bap­ including the trip let at the east end, are s ta in e d ; in
tism s and 1909 for m arriages. The livin g is a vicarage, the chancel hang the old colours of th e 66th (Princess
net yearly value ¿23 0 , in the gift of the vicar of St. Charlotte of W ales’s Royal B erkshire) regim en t, and a
G iles’s, R eading, and held since 1912 by the Jtev. window has been erected to those of the officers and
men who fell in the b attle of M aiwand, in A fghan istan ,
Francis Jam es Howard M .A . of K eble College, Oxford.
27th July, 1880, as well as two large brass tablets in
The church of St. Laurence, on the north-east side of the north aisle g iv in g th e nam es of th e officers and
the M arket place, is a buildin g of flin t and stone, in m e n ; there is also a tablet inscribed to those of the
the E a rly E nglish and Pei’pendicular s ty le s : it was 49th or 1st B attalion of th at regim ent, who fell in the
p artially reb u ilt in 1434, and consists of chancel, nave cam paigns in E g yp t, 1882-3; the Soudan, 1885; and
of five bays, north aisle, w ith ch an try chapel, south the N ile E xpedition. 1885-6; the vestry contains some
porch, and a fine western tow er of flin t and stone 89 brasses, includin g a cross fleury and several scrolls to
feet high and containing 10 bells, the la rg est w eighing W illiam Baron, 1416, and an inscription to John Boorne,
4,109 lbs. ; th e tenor bell was recast on Jan. 10, 1882. who died in his th ird m ayoralty, 1558, and A lice
and the w eigh t was then increased from 23 to 24 c w t s .: his w ife ; in the north aisle hangs th e old altar piece,
the tow er is P erpendicular, and has octagonal turrets attribu ted to Ludovico C aracci, 1555-1619, and there is
at the angles, risin g into spirelets above th e parapet, an alm s-box, dated 1627; and at th e western entrance
which is battlem ented : the north aisle, called also St. a carved oak screen, dating from 16 31: th e church was
John’ s chapel, from its having been used by the sisters restored in 1863-4, and the chancel enlarged and nearly
of the hospital of th at nam e, retains its original r o o f; rebuilt in 1872; and in October, 1883, an episcopal
th is aisle and the chancel were restored in 1848, and ch air of E n glish oak and w alnut was provided : in
m ost of the windows filled w ith stained g la s s ; the Septem ber, 1913, the south transept was fitted w ith an
rem ainder of the church was restored in 1867-8, when a lta r and converted into a Lady chapel in m em ory of the
the church w alk or piazza, b u ilt by J. B lagrave on Rev. Canon G arry, vicar
from 1875 to 1896: there are
the south side in 1690, was rem oved, the in terior re­ 1,000
sittin gs, all free. The reg ister dates from the
seated and two stained windows inserted, at a total year 1538, and there arealso church docum ents datin g
cost of ¿4,000, and fu rth er in 1882, at a cost of ¿4.5 8 0 : from
th e 13th century. Th e liv in g is a vicarage, net
in the south aisle lies b uried John B lagrave, author of yearly value ¿440, w ith residence, in th e g ift of the
“ The M athem atical Jew ell,” who died 9 A u gu st, 1611, Bishop of Oxford, and held since 1912 by the Rev.
and on the wall above is a curious painted m onum ent, Richard W ickham L e g g M .A . of N ew College, Oxford.
w ith his dem i-effigy, in cloak and ruff, h oldin g a skull Th e list of rectors and vicars dates from 1173-