CAMBRIDGE UNIV E RS ITY

F TTE R ZLo nbo n : E LANE , E . C .

MAN F . C LAY A C . , GE R

xo o PR IN E S STR E T Glimburgb , C E ND B zflin : A . AS H E R A CO .

1 m m: F . A. B RO CK HAUS A ’ film Q o r k : G. P . PUTN M S SO N S

MA MILLAN AND T D C C . L . B umbag anb Qtalcu tta : O ,

r eserv ed g n ‘ o c

q P WV W H k Pr a m M 6 K

’ ’ Ca m ér ia g e Co u n ty Geog r ap/zzes

B E R K S H IKE

H W . M O NCKT O N . ,

W th Ma s D m d l l u t t o i p , iagra s an I s ra i ns

C a m br idge

a t th e U n iv er sit y Pr e ss

CO NTE NTS

M W County and Sh ir e . eaning of the ords G eneral Characteristics

Siz B e . Shape . oundaries

S F a t r urface and G eneral e u es . W a t r h d. v o u r L k e s e Ri ers and their C ses . a es G eology and Soi l Natural History Climate and Rainfall — o l R a Po Pe p e c e . pulation

1 0 . Agriculture

I M I I . ndustries and anufactures

i l M 1 2 M n r a . B . e s uilding aterials

T h e History of Berk shire

History (c o n tin ued) — Antiq uities (a ) Prehistoric — x Antiq uities (b) Roman and Sa o n . — a l ia i a l h u h e s Architecture ( ) E c c es st c . C rc fl CO NTENTS

— u e b s s A rc hitec t r ( ) Religious Hou e . — Arc hitect u re (c ) M ilita r y — Architecture (d) Dom estic — Co m m u n ic a t io n s A n c ie n t and M o de r n — Administration and Divi sion s Ancient and Modern Public and Educational Establishments

h F B s T e orest in erk hire .

Roll o f Honour

T h e Chie f T ow ns and V illa g es o f Berk shire IL L U STRATIONS

W indsor Ca stle from t h e North - We st — The Ridgeway Uffin gto n Ca stle i n the di stance Th e Tham es near Pangbourne The Tham es at Maidenhead T h e River Kennet at Hungerford

w Hill s . Cro n , South A cot Cookham Dean Streatley from G oring The Pang at Pangbourne Pangbourne T h e Tham es near Abingdon Diagram to illustrate th e Geology o f Berk shire Diagram - section o f the Berk shire Rock s Ro c k Corallian , Shell ingford — Specim en from t h e Reading Leaf Bed Bagshot Heath Country from Bo g H ill s s G m s Sar en in ravel , Chobha Ridge Th e Pine Plantation s near Well ington College Wellingtonia Avenue near Wellington College G W k Factory irls leaving or at Reading . K Whitening Factory , intbury ’ s s s Chri t Ho pital , Abingdon

White Waltham Church . ILLUSTRATIO NS

o f K in Statue g A lfred , Wantage ' St s W s George Chapel , indsor Ca tle

’ St G eorge s Chapel : t h e I nterior Abingdon Abbey ’ St G eorge s Hall : Wind sor Ca stle Statue o f (Lu ee n Victoria at W in dso r ’ W ayland Sm ith s Cave Flint I m plem ent s o f t he Neolithic Period fo u n d in Berk shire The White Horse

Ble wb u r to n Hill B , near lewbury ’ St Nic h o la s s Church , Abingdon

Abbey Gateway , Abingdon D F North oor , aringdon Church Do o r South , Faringdon Church Fincham pstead Church Faringdon Pari sh Church Th e Upper C ro ss : Ea st Hagbourne Village Abingdon Pari sh Church R u in s o f Reading Abbey

o f t h e s m o f St Part Ho pitiu john , Reading Abbey P The Refectory , Hurley riory Th e B Abbey arn , Great Coxwell Bi sham Abbey

Th e W in dso r s Round Tower , Ca tle

s Gateway , Donnington Ca tle , Newbury Cottage at Cookha m Dean

s s B s m Way ide Cottage , i ha The Lo ndon Road near Sunninghill Hungerford Canal Ham bleden Weir Di sused Canal be tween Abingdon and Wantage ’ Boulter s Lock T he Town Hall , Abingdon ILLUSTRATIONS ix

h W f r e o d . T ( Town Hall , alling s Royal Military College , Sandhur t

F r do The Town Hall , a ing n

o f G A b do Gate the Old rammar School , ing n A scot Race Course Archbi shop La u d

The b B s m . Ho y Chapel , i ha Church M i ss M itford Ab ingdo n Br i dge Bin field Rectory Bray Church Cookham Lock Ea st Hagbour n e V illage Hurley Church and Site o f Lady Place Pangbourne Sho tte sb r o o k Church from the Park Streatley M ill W allingf o r d B r i dge Th e Stock s at White Waltham Diagr am s

M APS

B s erk hire , Topographical G eo l o gi c al

E W s R f ngland and ales , howing Annual ain all

Th e s s o n s 61 8 8 8 6 1 0 6 a r e illu tration page 7 , 3 3 , , 4 , , 9 , ,

o s M o f T w o s from phot graph by r Llewellyn Treacher , yford ; th e M r H A K o n s 8 8 a r e s . . page 3 and 7 from photograph by ing , o f s 011 s 0 6 6 1 0 1 8 1 6 Reading ; tho e page 3 7 , 4 , 4 , 4 , 74 , 5 , 5 , 3 x ILLUSTRATIO NS

o m Th e s s are fr photograph s by the author . portrait on page 1 3 9 and 1 44 are reproduce d f r o m photograph s supplied by M r m s s s 6 6 E ery Walker ; while the illu tration on page 7 , 9 ,

1 2 1 0 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 7 , 9 , 9 4 , 9 7 , 3 , , 7 , 9 ,

1 1 1 6 f r o m s m 3 3 , 5 3 , 5 , are photograph su pplied by the Ho eland

ss s s 2 1 0 1 2 1 1 6 1 1 2 1 2 2 A ociation ; and tho e on page , , , 3 , , 7 , 9 , , ,

2 8 6 8 8 1 1 0 1 1 ” 6 ‘ 1 4 1 3 9 2 4 5 1 5 , 3 1 7 1 7 9 ) 9 1 04 9 7 1 5 1 1 8 ,

[ 2 ‘ 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 3 ) 3 6, 4 1 4 61 4 8 1 49 ) 5 5 54 ) 5 9 2 6 9

s ss s F 8: 0 L C . td. are from photograph supplied by Me r . Frith , , of Reigate . M o f 1 S r . . Cou nty and h i e eaning the

W o r ds .

If we take a m a p of England and contrast it with

m a S fir st a p of the United tates, perhaps one of the th ings we shall notice is the dissi m ilarity of the arbitrary d ivisions m Am of land of which the countries are co posed . In erica the r igi dly straight boundaries and rectangular shape of the m ajority of the States strike the eye at once ; in England our wonder is rather how the boundaries have m m — d co e to be so tortuous and co plicated to such a egree , d d m in ee , that until recently any counties had outlying l d ’ w . is an s, as it ere, within their neighbours territory We naturally infer that the conditions under which the

di visi o n s m arose cannot have been the sa e , and that while

Am m l o c k l d in erica these for al square b s of an , like vast

m d o l allot ent gar ens, were pr bab y the creation of a central

. o f} m m m authority, and portioned uch about the sa e ti e , the di v i sio n s we fin d in England have no such sim ple f t m . Su c h c origin , in a , is ore or less the case . The form ation of the English counties i n m any instances was — (and is fo r they have altered up to to- day) an aff air of — m slow growth , and their origin was as their na es tell

u s— o f very diverse nature . M . B .

COUNTY AND SHIRE 3

Let u s turn once m ore to our m a p of England . Col le c tivel y, we call all our divisions counties, but not every m m one of the is accurately thus described . So e have m m m Su x na es co plete in the selves, such as Kent and sse , and we fin d these to be old English kingdom s with but m little alteration either in their boundaries or thei r na es .

m shir e u s To others the ter inal is appended, which tells — that they were sbar n from a larger dom ain sba r es of Mercia or Northum bria or som e other of the great m English kingdo s . The division of England into counties or Sh ires has

A A . D 8 1 often been attributed to King lfred ( . 7 but the sh ire of Berks is m entioned as early as the ti m e of A D 8 60 r Ethelbert ( . . and Berkshire ve y probably existed as a county from the days of Egbert (died The words county and shire m ean practically the m m m sa e thing, but the for er is derived fro the Latin co m ita tu s com té m through the French , the do inion of a co m es C o u t m S seir , or n , and the latter fro the axon “ n (from scir a to divide) . The term ination shire is generally used for Berkshi re and four of the neighbouring

viz . m G counties, Buckingha shire , Oxfordshire , loucester shire , an d Wiltshire . The next neighbouring county is m A m usually called Ha psh ire , but in cts of Parlia ent and o fli c ial S m papers it is called the county of outha pton .

m c o u t Su m For the re aining n y, rrey, the ter ination shire — — is not used : its nam e Su t hr e ge tells u s that it was ” m the South Kingdo . The boundary of the county follows in great part the river Tham es or its tributaries but in m any places it is

- I , 2 4 B ERK SHIRE not distinguished from the neighbouring counties by any

n m natural features . O the west the chalk downs run fro Wiltshire into Berkshire with no change at the bo undary of the county, and on the south there is little distinction between the forest and m oorland of Berkshire and of the m adjoining tracts of Ha pshire and Surrey . Berkshi re has thus existed as a county for about 1 1 00 years ; previously i t was part of the Saxon kingdom of m m Wessex , which also co prised Ha pshire, Wiltshire ,

S m . o erset, Dorset , Devon , and part of Cornwall The Saxons were called in by the B ritons to a5 5 1st the m

A D . against the Picts and Scots ( . 42 9 This was a

m R m A . D 1 8 short ti e after the departure of the o ans, . 4 ,

n R m or nearly fift ee hundred years ago . The o an rule in

m a m A . D 0 1 8 our district y be taken as fro . 4 to 4 , a period of 3 78 years . We shall realise the length of their rule if we rem em ber that 3 78 years ago Henry V III was reigning in England . When the Rom ans ca m e to the district they found it occupied by a tribe of Britons nam ed the Atrebates ; and

S m s ilchester, just over our county boundary in Ha p hire, was their chief town or settle m ent . The written h istory of the district does not go further

A h n d m m a n back than the trebates, but we any relics of m m m of a m uch earlier date . There are in our useu s hu an bones found in old graves , but it is not possible to give the m a date or to nam e the tribe or tribes to which they belonged . There are also early gold coins without any

fi u re inscription , but bearing a rude g of a horse not unlike the celebrated white horse cut in the chalk h ill above COUNTY AND SHIRE 5

‘ o B . C 2 00 . u s . U flin gt o n . These coins take back to ab ut m m There are also various weapons and i ple ents of iron , bronze , and stone, found in graves or barrows or i n the m beds of our rivers, about which we shall say ore in a All m subsequent chapter . these re ains belong to a period when the surface of the county, though no doubt covered ff m to a great extent with forest , was not very di erent fro — m what it is to day . The strea s and rivers followed to som e extent the sam e courses and flo w e d at m uch the m sa e level as now . But there are rem ains of m a n which carry u s back m to a very uch earlier date . In what is known as the Palaeolithic Period our rivers flo w ed at m uch higher levels than now ; possibly the land has risen since that

m m a be ti e , but however that y , there are beds of gravel of the river Tham es as m uch as 1 1 4 feet above the m m m present river , and these gravels contain i ple ents ade

m a n . by These , which are at least as old as the gravel

hn d m in which we the , are nearly all of flint, and often m A m beautifully ade . large collection fro Berkshire is in R m the eading Museu . m m Several ani als now extinct were living at that ti e . m m m The a oth , the woolly rhinoceros, and the Irish elk m roa ed th rough the forest of Berkshire , and in all

m a n probability were hunted by Palaeolithic . 6 B ERK SHIRE

2 . G r l C r r s ene a ha acte i tics .

Berksh ire is an inland county separated from the m English Channel by the full width of Ha pshire . The m river Tha es , however, gives a waterway to the sea , and R the county town , eading, is especially well served by railways and has m ainly on that account becom e the m centre of trades of great i portance . Reading biscuits

R - and eading seeds have a world wide celebrity, and printing is now extensively carried on in the town .

Berkshire is , however, essentially an agricultural

m m En county, and so e of the ost fertile corn land in g i m land is found in t . Until quite odern ti m es great m tracts were waste , or woodland and oorland . But these , m though of no agricultural value, are for the ost part very good to live i n and are now being rapidly built over . The county is divided by nature into three well

first m arked districts . The of these natural divisions is form ed by the Vale of Wh ite Horse and the part of

it - the county north of , as well as the low lying ground between Wallingford and Steventon . The soil is clay

m . and sand , and a few beds of li estone occur in places The second division is the great chalk district m A for ing central Berkshire , with shbury, Wantage , and

Wallingford on the north and Hungerford , Kintbury ,

B ra dfield . Chieveley, , and Tilehurst on the south The tract included in the curve of the river Tham es between Twyford and Maidenhead also belongs to the chalk district . The chalk is not always at the surface of the

8 B ERK SHIRE

m a n f R m part the work of be ore the o an occupation , for it w as an inhabited part of the county in the ti m e of the

O h B ritons . the other hand the Vale of White Horse m division was in those days ainly or wholly uncultivated ,

n o w m s but it is the ost fertile part of Berk hire . The south or forest division has been thinly populated up to m m R m S quite odern ti es, though the o an town of ilchester

o m sto d in the Ha pshi re part of this forest country . Berkshire is al m ost all within the drainage area of the m river Tha es and its tributaries , and the natural line of com m unication between our county and the sea is by m 8 m m river, Windsor being so e 5 iles fro the Nore . The estuary of the Severn is less than 3 2 m iles from m Faringdon , and there see s to have been a tolerably good m m road fro Berkshire to the west coast in quite early ti es . Form erly a very usual line of com m unication between our county and the sea was from the south coast across

' m f m the chalk downs . Hungerford is only 3 5 iles ro S m outha pton , and the roadways across the Chalk are very o ld and fairly direct .

S . S B u r i s . 3 . i z e hape . o nda e

The length of Berkshire on a n east and west line is

m a 4 1 m iles . It y be described as a rectangle with a

m - so ewhat square projection at the south eastern corner . A m m sh ole co pares it to a lute and Fuller to a slipper . The northern boundary is practically form ed by the river m m Tha es , and is in consequence ost irregular . Where S IZ E SHAPE B O UNDARIES 9

the river curves in a southerly direction , the width of the county is contracted until it is less than seven m iles

R 1 8 at eading . Until 44 Th ree Mile Cross and the country between that place and the Ham pshire border was an outlying part of Wiltshire , so that the width of

'

Berkshire at Reading was less than four m iles . This little bit of Wiltshire has however now been joined to

Berksh ire . Berkshire as it is shown upon m ost m aps is known as “ G ” “ A ” the eographical or ncient County of Berkshi re,

- and its area is acres, that is about one seventieth of the area of England . For adm inistrative purposes the boundaries are slightly

ff A m in di erent, and the area of d inistrative Berkshire R cluding the county borough of eading is acres .

B m i. e . y deducting fro this the area under water, rivers,

fi u res ponds, lakes, etc . , we arrive at the g wh ich are used as the area of Berkshire in acres for the purpose of agricultural and other returns issued by Govern m ent .

The county of Berks for registration purposes , that is for

'

m . A m Parlia entary elections, etc , includes all the d inistra m m tive County and also Egha in the east, Culha and

m - m Crow arsh in the north east , s all bits of Oxfordshire G and loucestershire in the north , and the rural district of R m a sbury in the west, giving a total area of acres .

w a s S Berkshire , as we have said , a part of the axon m m kingdo of Wessex , and it has inherited fro that m m kingdo its northern boundary , the river Tha es . It is interesting to note that som e rivers have been selected as m boundaries to a uch greater extent than others . Thus

SIZ E SHAPE B O UNDARIES 11 the Tham es form s a county boundary for a great part of S its course, whilst the river evern flows through the m iddle of counties . The Tham es form s the county boundary at Old Windsor from a point a little above Magna Charta Island m m and separates Berkshire fro Buckingha shire, and later m m m on fro Oxfordshire, the boundary so eti es running i n m m m m k m m idstrea , so eti es on one ban , and so eti es on a the other bank . Near Oxford the boundary p sses for a short distance a little to the west of the river, that is on

the Berks side . The Upper Tham es or Isis becom es

the boundary between Berkshire and Oxfordshire , and then for a very short distance between Berkshire and G n loucestershire , until near Buscot the river Cole joi s the Isis and the boundary turns in a southerly direction

C o l near to the bank of the e , the adjoining county being

u then Wiltshire . The county boundary r ns by or close

to the river Cole to near Bourton , and it then crosses the

' fi m At it chalk country with no de nite arks . one point m F crosses an old earthwork, Me bury ort , and reaches the m river Kennet a little east of Chilton Foliat . Fro this m 1 m point to near Woodhay , a distance of so e 4 iles, the boundary of the county for adm inistrative purposes difie rs from the boundary of the ancient or geographical county (see page indeed considerable alterations have been m m ade in this part of the county boundary at various ti es . The present ad m inistrative boundary after cross ing the

- Kennet , turns in a westerly and then i n a south easterly direction following the border of Hungerford and Inkpen parishes and runs on to a point at the south - western 12 B ERK SHIRE

m corner of Co be parish where Berkshire , Wiltshire , and m Ham pshire eet . The Berkshire boundary then runs west to Pilot Hill and then turning takes a northerly or north - easterly course until it reaches the stream Em bo rn e which it follows for several m iles until near Bri m pton the m strea bends sharply northwards to join the river Kennet, while the county boundary continues it s easterly c ourse

Th e Tham e s at M aid e nh e ad

through a forest country to the Im p Stone plantation . It then m akes a wide detour to the north leaving Morti m er West End and the Rom an town of Silchester in Ham p m shire . Th is part of the boundary has at ore than one date been subject to alteration and for a ti m e it ran close

r fie ld to Silchester and is thus m arked on m any m aps . St a t M m m orti er is in Berkshire, and about a ile to the east of Silchester the county boundary reaches a Rom an road which it follows pretty closely for a considerable distance, SIZ E S HAPE B O UNDARIES 13

' O h crossing the river Loddon at Stam ford End Mill . m m the east of the Loddon we co e to a s all tract which , m m until odern ti es, was an outlying part of Wiltshire, m bounded in part by Berkshire and in part by Ha pshire . m It is now included in the for er cou nty, and the Berkshire boundary continues its easterly direction on or near the Rom an road until i t reaches the stream Whitewater

Th e Riv e r K e n n e t at Hunge rford

close to its j unction with the Blackwater . The county boundary reaches the latter river close to a ford, no doubt — m a well known place , for these fords are in ost cases very old crossing- places and this one certainly goes back to Ro m an ti m es and m a y very likely have been used i n still earlier days . The boundary then turns along the Blackwater, and though it does not always follow m the present course of the strea , it keeps near to it 14 B ERK SHIRE

m m for so e eight iles , until we reach the Blackwater

B ridge on the London and Southam pton Road . This

- is another ancient crossing place, and here the counties of m S m . Berkshi re , Ha pshire , and urrey eet The Berkshire and Surrey boundary now runs in a north- easterly R direction , through the grounds of the oyal Military S m m m College , andhurst, up a s all strea to a place na ed

W ishm o o r m Cross, possibly the site of a cross in for er days,

- fi m and evidently a well known place , for ve parishes eet m there . Fro this point the boundary crosses the forest district of Bagshot Heath , celebrated i n connection with m m highway en , and eventually reaches the Tha es near

Old Windsor . In old m aps it will be noticed that there are detached portions of Berkshire surrounded by Oxfordshire , and also detached portions of Wiltsh ire partially or wholly sur m m rounded by Berkshire , but in odern ti es the county boundaries have been m uch m o dified for purposes of Ac t m convenience . Thus an of Parlia ent was passed in 1 844 to annex detached parts of counties to the counties

Ac t m i n which they are situated . Th is transferred fro

Shin fie ld Wiltshire to Berkshire parts of the parishes of ,

w ll fie ld m S a o w . S , and Wokingha hilton and Little Faringdon were transferred from Berkshi re to Oxford

m . shire , and part of Inglesha was given to Wiltshire The boundaries of counties were still further sim plifie d Ac t m 1 88 by an of Parlia ent of 7 , one of the objects of S a which was to arrange that no Union , Borough , anit ry m District, or Parish should be in ore than one county .

16 B ERK SHIRE

8 6 Hill attains a height of 5 feet, and the village of

Farnborough is 7 1 2 feet above sea level . There is a general slope of the chalk surface downwards towards m the south , so that even the high part of La bourn

00- Downs is well below the 7 feet contour line , and long and beautiful valleys run up from the N ewbury district into the chalk downs .

H i o s Crown ll , S uth A cot

' ’ (S /zo wmg c /za r a cter islzcs qf a sa n dy dzstr icl)

The northern border of the chalk district is a well de fin e d line ; not so the southern border . The chalk gradually bends downwards underground and is covered

m fin d by sand , gravel , and clay , so that in any places we the upper part of the hills sandy or clayey whilst the

m B u sso c k s m valleys beneath the are chalk . Thus Ca p SURFACE AND GENERAL FEATURES 17 and Sn elsm o re Com m on near Newbury are situated upon m a ridge of gravel , sand , an d clay, but the road fro Chieveley to Newbury in the valley below the cam p runs m for ost of the way along a chalk valley, and the chalk

an d extends all around , but underneath the sand , gravel ,

de fin it e clay . Hence there is no southern boundary to

C o o kha m D e an

' (S /zow zf zg c ha r a cter istic ( b a lk

the chalk district, and there is a bit of chalk country

. u near Inkpen The projecting part of Berkshire , bo nded on the south by a line drawn from Twyford to Maiden

. a n d m head on the other sides by the rive r Tha es, is m also ainly a ch alk district .

s u has i . h The o thern division of the county " con

de fin it e sequence no northern border, but a line drawn

M. B . 18 B ERK SHIRE

from Hungerford in the west to Maidenhead i n the east will have very little of chalk district to the south and very

little forest country to the north , and is consequently a good practical boundary between the second and th ird

divisions of Berksh i re . The scenery of the southern division is quite di fferent m fro that of the other two divisions . The country consists to a great extent of wide and flat table- land 300 to 400 feet m above the sea, in wh ich the rivers and strea s have cut d . l valleys There are also extensive tracts of clay an , but f the clay is often concealed under a few eet of gravel .

W r s r . r s r C s s . 5 ate hed . Ri v e and thei ou e k s La e .

With the exception of a sm all tract in the south western corner the county is wholly drained by the river m Tha es and its tributaries ; that is to say, with a very

x m few e ceptions , every brook and strea in Berkshire is m m ore or less directly a tributary of the Tha es . The river Tham es or Isis becom es the boundary be G tween Berkshire and loucestershire near Lechlade , and w it flo s in an easterly direction over a clay country, keeping a little to the north of the ridge of li m estone hills upon which the villages of Buckland and Hinton A Waldrist stand . Near ppleton the river bends to the round the outlying patch of li m estone f m m H ll which or s Wytha i , and being joined by the river Evenlode ” The united stream s soon take a southerly WATERSHED RIV ERS LAK ES 19

course , and a little below Oxford are joined on the north m by the Cherwell . The river then crosses the li estone m S R for ation near andford , and curves round by adley to

A r o m A m bingdon . F bingdon the river pursues a so ewhat serpentine course with a general south - easterly trend to wards Benson , being joined on the north near Dorchester

S tre atl e y from G orin g

m A by the river Tha e . little south of Benson the river , m m now the Tha es proper, enters upon the chalk for a tion , across which it flows in a southerly direction to

S - R treatley, and then takes a south easterly course to eading . At S d treatley the river valley is eep, with steep sides separating the chalk downs of Berkshire from the chalk h ills known as the Chilterns . The illustration above

2 —2 20 B ERK SHIRE shows the Berkshire downs i n the distance and the va lley f m o the Tha es in the foreground . At R m eading the Tha es is joined by the Kennet, and 1t 1s m t e r est in g to notice that the m ai n stream adopts the direction of the tributary and flows with a north - easterly course to Wargrave , near which place the river Loddon m m eets it fro the south , and again the direction of flow of m the tributary is adopted , the Tha es taking a northerly course past Henley . It is also of interest to observe that the river has turned away fro m the soft clays which form

o f R the ground south and east eading, and has cut a deep m valley in the hard chalk fro Wargrave onwards . Beyond R m m m e enha the course of the river beco es easterly , and near Cookham it turns south and flows past Maidenhead to Bray . Near Bray the Tham es leaves the chalk over which it has flo w ed for som e 40 m iles and enters upon a clay m country, aking its way in a fai rly direct line to

Windsor , the one place in the district where a knob of chalk sticks up through the clay . Windsor Castle stands upon this knob of chalk . The course of the river

m - fro Bray to Windsor is on the whole south east, and after a big curve north at Eton the course becom es m ore southerly, with another big curve near Old Windsor . At Runnym ede House the Berkshire boundary leaves the river, which flows on to London and the sea .

T he . ri ver Cole rises on the chalk not far from

flo w in Ashb ury, and g in a northerly direction joins the Uppe n T ha m es or Isis at the extre m e western boundary of the county . WATERSHED RIV ERS LAK ES 21.

' U fii n t o n a n d The river Ock rises on the chalk near g , flows down the Vale of White Horse to join the Tham es A at bingdon . The river Pang rises on the chalk not far from

i m n ea r Co pton , and flows in a southerly direction to c Bu klebury , where it turns eastward , passing through a beautiful valley by way of Stanford D ingley and

Th e Pang at Pangb o urn e

r a dfi m m B eld to a point near Tid arsh . It then akes a sharp turn to the north and joins the Tham es at Pang bourne . This lower part of the course of the Pang is worthy of study, for there is a continuous band of river alluvium along the valley from the Tham es at Pangbourne

' to the Kennet at Theale . The source of the river, too,

in ve t 1 a t 1o n m is well worthy of s g . In dry ti es it will be m found in the valley near Co pton , but i n wet seasons it 22 B ERK SHIRE is m uch further up in a branch valley towards East

Ilsley . The Lam bourn also rises on the chalk near the place

m - of that na e, and it flows in a south easterly direction and joins the Kennet close to Newbury . The Pang and the Lam bourn flow in chalk valleys for the whole of their course .

Pangb o urn e

The river Kennet rises in Wiltshire, enters Berkshire f near Hungerford , and lows with an easterly course by

fin a ll way of Kintbury, Newbury, and Theale, y joining

m R . the Tha es close to eading It is a chalk river , and obtains a considerable am ount of water from springs in the valley alon g its course .

m bo e The E m is not a chalk stream . It rises in the

WATERSHED RIV ERS LAK ES 25

There was form erly a sheet of water near Twyford m R m k m m na ed usco be La e , which had so e clai to be

l k - called a natural a e, in that it was a low lying bit of ground which was flooded owing to the absence of a good outlet . Its natural outlet was into the river Loddon , and there is a patch of alluvium extending from its site

a n la k e through St Park to that river . It was eventually m “ drained by aking a deep channel called the Cut, draining a considerable area into the Tham es near m Bray . It has been asked why the river Tha es did not R m follow the line of usco be Lake and the Bray Cut, all soft clayey soil and low ground, instead of cutting the great and deep valley through the chalk by way of

G . Wargrave , Henley , reat Marlow, an d Maidenhead The explanation probably i s that the river Tha m es existed

ah before y of these valleys, and that its course was determ ined by local features which have lon g since m been destroyed by rain and strea s , and by the river itself.

6. G l il eo og y and S o . Before giving further account of the physical geography of the county it is necessary to learn som ewhat of its geology, as the physical conditions are to a large extent dependent upon geological structure . By Geology we m ean the study of the rocks,and we m ust at the outset explain that the term r ack is used by the geologist without any reference to the hardness or 26 B ERK SHIRE com pactness of the m aterial to which the nam e is applied ; thus he speaks of loose sand as a rock equally with a hard substance like granite . R 1 m ocks are of two kinds, ( ) those laid down ostly 2 under water, ( ) those due to the action of heat . The first kind m a y be com pared to sheets of paper

. beds one over the other These sheets are called , and such

m n beds are usually for ed of sand (often containi g pebbles), m d m m u m . or clay, and li estone , or ixtures of these aterials

f m a They are laid down as flat or nearly lat sheets, but y afterwards be tilted as the result of m ovem ent of the ’ m a earth s crust, just as you y tilt sheets of paper, folding m m the into arches and troughs, by pressing the at either

A m a hn d end . gain , we y the tops of the folds so pro du c ed worn away as the result of the constant action of

- m o ne m rivers, glaciers , and sea waves upon the , as ight cut o ff the tops of the folds of the paper with a pair of m shears . This has happened with the ancient beds for ing ’ fi m parts of the earth s crust, and we therefore often nd the

m . tilted , with the upper parts re oved Tilted beds are di said to p, the direction of dip being that in which the

do w n w a r ds beds plunge , thus the beds of an arch dip

a w a r o m to w a r ds m . y f its crest, those of a trough its iddle The dip is at a low angle when the beds are nearly horizontal , and at a high angle when they approach the vertical position . The horizontal line at right angles to

t r ke the direction of the clip is called the line of s i . Beds m for strips at the surface , and the portion where they

o u tcr o n appear at the surface is called the p. O a large scale the direction of outcrop generally corresponds with GEOLOGY AND SOIL 27

m a that of the strike . Beds y also be displaced along great cracks, so that one set of beds abuts against a ff di erent set at the sides of the crack, when the beds are

a u lted said to be f .

The other kinds of rocks are known as igneous rocks, which have been m elted under the action of heat and m becom e solid on cooling . When in the olten state they have been poured out at the surface as the lava of volcanoes, or have been forced into other rocks and cooled n M i n the cracks and other places of weak ess . uch m aterial is also thrown out of volcanoes as volcanic ash

o n . and dust, and is piled up the sides of the volcano

Su m m a d ch ashy aterial y be arranged in be s, so that it partakes to som e extent of the qualities of the two great rock groups . The production of beds is of great i m portance to m geologists, for by eans of these beds we can classify the rocks according to age . If we take two sheets of paper, and lay one on the top of the other on a table, the upper S m one has been laid down after the other . i ilarly with d two be s, the upper is also the newer, and the newer will

m - m m re ain on the top after earth ove ents, save in very

u s exceptional cases which need not be regarded by here, and for general purposes we m a y regard any bed or set of beds resting on any other in our own country as being

the newer bed or set . The m ovem ents which a Eec t beds m ay occur at

difTer en t m . m a fla t ti es One set of beds y be laid down , m m then thrown into folds by ove ent, the tops of the

o iT beds worn , and another set of beds laid down upon the 28 B ERK SHIRE d worn surface of the older be s, the edges of which will abut against the oldest of the new set of fla t ly deposited

d m a be s, which latter y in turn undergo disturbance and m re oval of their upper portions .

A m a m gain , after the for tion of the beds any changes

m a m . m a m y occur in the They y beco e hardened, pebble m beds being changed into conglo erates, sands into sand m m stones, uds and clays into udstones and shales, soft m m deposits of li e into li estone , and loose volcanic ashes

m a m into exceedingly hard rocks . They y also beco e

cracked, and the cracks are often very regular, running in

two directions at right angles one to the other . Such

n o in ts m cracks are k own as j , and the joints are very i portant

ff As in a ecting the physical geography of a district .

the result of great pressure applied sideways, the rocks

m a y be so changed that they can be split into thin slabs,

which usually , though not necessarily, split along planes R ff standing at high angles to the horizontal . ocks a ected

a te in this way are known as sl s.

If we could flatten out all the beds of England , and arrange them one over the other and bore a shaft through m m the , we should see the on the sides of the shaft, the m newest appearing at the top and the oldest at the botto . Such a shaft would have a depth of between and

feet . The beds are divided into three great groups m S M called Pri ary or Palaeozoic, econdary or esozoic, and m Tertiary or Cainozoic, and at the base of the Pri ary m rocks are the oldest rocks of Britain , which for as it were the foundation stones on which the other rocks m m rest, and are ter ed Preca brian rocks . The three S v a m v 1s 1o ~s C H ARACT E RS 0 1? Ro c

M e ta l Ag e De po s its Rec en t N eo h th ic Pa la e o lith ic Gla ma l

Ct o m er S e r ies bo ur n e Cra g h l a n Plio c en e C i l e sfo rd d No rwi c h Cra gs R ed a n d W a l to n Cra gs Co ra llin e Cra g Mio c en e Abse n t fr o m B r ita in Fluv io ma r in e Beds o f H a mpshir e B ag sho t Be ds Lo n do n Cla y Cla ys a n d Sa n ds chiefl l h a vc n B e ds W wic h a n Re a d in O d , o o l d g Tha n e t Sa n ds [Gr o ups Cha lk ha t o Uppe r Gre e n sa n d and Ga ult C lk a t p Cr eta ceo us o w e r re e n sa n d a n d sto n e s d a n d L G S , Mu W ea ld Cla y Cla ys bel o w H a s tm g s Sa n ds Pur be c k B e ds Po r t la n d Be ds K i m m e r idge Cla y Co ra llia n B eds O x fo rd a a n d K e a wa s R o c ha e s a n ds o n e s a n Cl y ll y k S l , S t Co m br a sh O o litic Lhn c sto n es Fo rest M a r ble Gr ea t O o h t e w ith S t o n c sfie ld Sla te In fe r—io r O o h t e ias U e r Middle a n d o wer L pp , , L Rha e tic K e upe r Ma r i s K e e r a n dsto n e R ed a n dsto n es a n d Tria ssic up S S U e r n t e r a n dsto n e Ma r is s m a n d S pp Bu S , Gyp u Bun te r Pe bble B e ds Lo we r B u n tc r S a n d s to n e M a gn e sia n im esto n e a n d Sa n dsto n e L R e d Sa n dsto n e s a n d Per mi an M a r l la t e S M a gn e sia n i m es to n e Lo w e r Pe r m ia n S an dsto n e L o a ea s r e s a n ds o n e s ha e s a n C l M u S t , S l M i llst o n e Gr it Co a ls a t t o p M o u n t a i n Lim es t o n e Sa n ds to n e s 111 m iddle Ba sa l Ca r bo n ife r o u s Ro c ks Lim e s t o n e a n d Sh a le s

/ ' ’ ‘ R c d d sto n es Sa n . De v o n ia n a n d O ld R ed San d 1 ha e s a t e s a n d Lim l , l Devo n ia n st o n e S S Lo wer l dlo w e ds Lu B a n dst o n es h a e s a nd S . l W e n lo c k e ds S B Thm L u nes t o n c s Lla n do v e ry B e ds

a r d e ds h a e s a te s C a o c B S l , Sl , — Lla n de il o Be ds S a n ds to n es a n d Ar e n ig Beds Thi n L un esto n es T r e ma do c Sla tes Li n gula Fla gs Sl a te s a n d M e n ev ia n Be ds H a r l e c h Gr i ts a n d Lla n be r is Sla tes

Pr e - Gam b u a n N o defin ite c la smfica tio n y e t ma de Sla t es a n d V o lca n ic Ro c k s 3 0 B ERK SHIRE great groups are divided into m i nor divisions known as system s . 2 In the preceding table (p. 9) a representation of the various great subdivisions or ‘ syste m s ’ of the beds which are found in the British Islands is shown . The nam es of — the great divisions are given on the left hand side , in the centre the chief divisions of the rocks of each syste m are m — enu erated , and on the right hand the general characters m of the rocks of each syste are given . B erkshire is now part of an island and is a long way

N . W

D iagram t o illus trat e t h e G e o l o g y o f B e rks hire

m m w fro the sea, but there have been ti es hen the arrange m ent of land and sea on the globe was very difie re n t fro m m what it is now . Our district has during so e periods has been part of a continent , and in others it been over

flo w ed by the sea . These changes i n the distribution of land and wa t er m m V were due to ove ents of the crust of the earth , and ery

m m m m sides c a u sin largely to ove ents of co pression fro the , , g folding of the strata of which the crust of the earth is co m posed . A m m fter any and great changes, at a ti e geologically

3 2 BERKS HIRE consider t he deposits form ed before the district fin a lly ro se above the sea . These deposits are usually spoken of as form ing the so lid eo lo g gy of the area , and the three divisions, into which as we have said Berkshire is divided, are characterised as follows

1 . In the northern part of the county , including the

Vale of White Horse , the geological strata are older than m the chalk for ation .

2 m . In the central part of Berkshire the chalk for a tion is at or near the surface of the ground .

3 . In the forest country of south and east Berkshire , the surface is form ed of geological form ations newer than the chalk , but the chalk is always to be found under ground i f one goes deep enough . If we look at a sectional plan of geological strata we shall see that none of the for m ations which com e to the surface in our county are of any great antiquity , m but so ewhere deep down , say over a thousand feet

u s m m below , there is a platfor of uch older rocks , upon which those that com e to the surface rest in an irregular

' m t hese o ld m a anner . What rocks y be we do not know, but probably New Re d Sandstone and possibly beds of

a m m coal m y occur a ongst the . S m peaking generally, we pass fro older to newer geo logical form ations as we go from the north - west towards

- fin d the south east, and we that the Oxford Clay is the oldest form ation which co m es to the surface in Berkshire . GEOLOGY AND SOIL 3 3

T/oe O xf o r d Clay form s a strip of low land along the banks of the Isis from the Cole to the Cherwell near

' m u d s a hi Oxford . It was originally deposited in a e w c h e n xtended over a great part of E gland . It is dark m coloured , often shaley , with a little clayey li estone . . A m m large oyster is one of its co on fossils . Its thickness

R k e o Coralli an oc , Sh ll ingf rd

- 0 m . is about 45 feet, and it is not a water bearing for ation The Oxford Clay dips underground to the east and is

first covered by newer rocks , the of which is the

Corallian . Tba Co r a llia n form s a very well- m arked band running m m across the county fro the Cole to the Tham es . Wytha m it S m Hill is for ed of , and hrivenha , Coleshill , Faringdon , M . B . 3 3 4 BERKS HIRE

F field A m Buckland , y , ppleton , and Cu nor are situated m upon it . It is essentially a calcareous for ation with m m m so e hard li estone beds, and has a thickness of fro 0 8 m 5 to 0 feet . It was for ed in the sea ; probably a shallow sea with shoals, sand , and coral banks . Fossil m m Am corals are abundant, and any speci ens of m onites m an d other arine shells are to be found . There are so m e good exam ples of these from Marcham in the Reading

S m a Museum . upplies of good water y often be obtained from this form ation . The Corallian beds are quarried for m m building stone and road aterial in any places .

Tbe Kimmer id e Cla m g y, which co es above the Corallian ,

m m u d is, like the Oxford Clay, a bed of hardened arine . m 1 0 It has now beco e a shaley clay , and is about 4 feet m thick . It for s a narrow east and west band across the M county . uch of the Vale of White Horse is on this A it clay, and the town of bingdon stands upon . It is not

- m a water bearing for ation .

r tla n d B eds A m m Tba Po . s all patch of this for ation m m is found resting upon the Ki eridge Clay in Berksh ire . S m It caps the rising ground south of hrivenha , and the

it s v illage of Bourton stands upon . Its thicknes is about

2 0 feet . A fter the deposition of the Portland rocks, which are of m o 1 i arine r g n , there is reason to believe that our district m beca e land and a part of a continent, but no relics of this period rem ain here . They were all swept away when the land sank again and the Cretaceous sea flo w e d over Berkshire . — — Tba Low er Gr een sa n d our next deposit was form ed L Y S 3 5 . GEO OG AND OIL ,

d m m after a long interval , an , owing to earth ove ents n which had taken place during that interval , it rests upo m m e the older rocks in an irregular anner . It is a arin m for ation , and only occurs in patches , the largest of which

m U ffin o a r in do n extends fro gt n to near F g . Its greatest n 60 thick ess is about feet , and it consists of sand with m so e ironstone and chert, pebble beds, and a calcareous

so - m sponge gravel . The sponge gravel , called fro the m nu ber of fossil sponges it contains, is dug for garden paths and walks, and is exported to long distances . The fossil sponges in the gravel are abundant and beautifully m preserved , and they see to have lived on the spot .

m a r in d n The ironstone was at one ti e worked near F g o .

At o d W in k fie ld New L ge , in the parish of , the Lower 1 2 Greensand was reached in a boring at a depth of 3 4 feet . A good supply of water was obtained , but it contains a m m large quantity of co on salt .

The Ga u lt m , the next for ation , consists of grey clay in

m u the lower part and of a silty arl in the pper part, with m a total thickness of so e 2 2 0 feet . It crosses the county d m m m A as a ban , fro one to three iles in width , fro shbury m A to the Tha es between bingdon and Wallingford . It

m m - is a arine for ation , and does not give a water supply . 7793 Upper Gr een sa n d runs across the county as a 0 narrow and irregular band about 9 feet thick, and consists m of green sands and grey arl , with beds of stone in places . m It is of arine origin , and provides a supply of excellent m water, and consequently any villages stand upon or close it A to . shbury, Childrey, Wantage , Hendred , and Harwell m are exa ples . 3 6 BERKS HIRE

Tba Cb a /é m m . Th is is far the ost i portant geological

m s for ation in Berk hire , for it occupies a large portion of the surface of the county, and in the eastern part, when not at the surface , it is to be found underground . It is a

- m light coloured li estone , usually soft and earthy, but in

. 00 parts very hard Its full thickness is over 7 feet , and being a porous rock, the rain which falls on its great surface sinks in and furnishes a water—supply over its whole area whether the chalk be at the surface or under ground . It was deposited in a sea which not only covered m our district but spread over uch of Europe . There was, however, probably land to the west which included

Cornwall , parts of Wales, and of I reland . The upper part of the Berksh ire Chalk contains m any layers and Him nodules of . There is a long break in our geological record after the newest beds of the Chalk found i n Berkshire had been m deposited , for both the top of the Chalk and the botto fi of the next series are wanting here , and in order to ll the i nterval we have to study rocks in other parts of

a m m . Engl nd , i n Belgiu , and in Den ark During this m m great interval in ti e the chalk sea retired , and uch m of Britai n beca e land . Tba R ea ding B eds repose upon a water and weather

a n d worn surface of chalk . They consist of clays sands , and were deposited in the bed of a great river . Their m 0 0 m a thickness is fro 7 to 9 feet , and good water y be

h n d obtained from the sands . In the lower part we a m bed of oysters , and rather higher up there is in so e “ ” R - places a bed of leaves , known as the eading Leaf Bed , GEOLOGY AND SOIL 3 7

a speci m en of which is shown below . It will be noticed W u that the leaves are crowded together, and ere no do bt d buried in the m u of the river .

— S p e ci m e n from t h e R e adi ng L e af B e d

Tbe B a semen t B ed of tbc L an do n Clay com es next i n r re m o t h a t t he sea w a o der , and the fossils a arine, sh wing s 3 8 BERKSHIRE

m 6 1 6 again spreading over our area . It is fro to feet in m thickness, and consists of loa and clay with green sand and pebbles . A set of shells from this bed is arranged in m the Reading Museu . Tba L o n do n Clay is a m arine form ation of very uni form ff m character, a sti clay , blue underground , but beco ing brown near the surface , owing to the action of surface

m - water . It contains layers of ce ent stones . The thick 0 ness in the east of the county is nearly 35 feet, but the m 0 for ation thins to the west, and is under 5 feet thick m m at Inkpen . Fossils are not unco on , and there is a fair collection of Berkshire London Clay fossils in the

m - Wellington College Museu . It is not a water bearing

m s for ation . Most of Wind or Park is on London Clay, and a nu m ber of places the nam es of which end with “ ” fie ld m Ar bo r field are upon this for ation , such as ,

Bin fie ld B u r hfie ld Shin field Sw a llo wfie ld W a rfield , g , , , , fi and Wink eld .

Tbe B a sbot B eds m g , na ed after Bagshot Heath , consist m m m of sand with a few beds of clay . The axi u thick m ness is nearly 3 50 feet . They are probably ainly of m m arine origin , but for ed near the estuary of a large m river . Fossils are rare in this for ation in Berkshire , but a few speci m ens will be found in the Museum s at

Reading and at Wellington College . The Bagshot Beds

- m are a water bearing for ation , but the water is not always of a satisfactory character . The scenery of the sandy

Bagshot country is well shown by the view opposite . Som e in defin it e ti m e after the deposition of the Bagshot Beds considerable earth m ovem ents too k place in the

40 BERKSHIRE

S m m In places it is 2 0 feet thick . o e of the best ti ber in it the county grows upon .

r a v el G covers a good deal of the surface in Berkshire .

It is found both on the h igh ground and in the valleys . The h igh - level gravels are oft en over 1 0 feet thick and the valley gravels are m ore than 2 0 feet thick in several

s e s G e m e s S ar n in rav l , Chobha Ridg

. M m places Windsor, Bray, aidenhead , Cookha , Twyford , n m R Woki gha , eading, Theale , Pangbourne , and Newbury stand partly or wholly upon gravel .

Alluv iu m m , the odern deposit of the rivers, covers m m a good deal of ground in so e places , ore especially in h t e valley of the Kennet . Sa r sem are blocks of sandstone which are found on or GEOLOGY AND SOIL 41

near the surface of the ground or i n the beds of gravel . They were probably derived in part from the Reading

Beds and in part fro m the Bagshot Beds . The illustra tion on page 40 shows three sa rsen stones lying at the bottom of a thick bed of gravel in a gravel pit on Chob h a m R S m idges . The localityis in urrey, but not far fro m m the Berkshire border, and si ilar exa ples occur i n

Berkshire .

Na u r a l His r . 7 . t to y

a The fertile district of the V le of White Horse, the wide chalk downs, and the forest country with its r ‘ sandy tracts cove ed by heather or pines, together with

m u s the river Tha es and its tributaries, give a consider m able variety of soil , of cli ate, and of general conditions ; a n d we consequently have a large variety of species both

m c of ani als and of plants, though being an inland ounty, m m m any for s which people the coast are absent, or erely

m . co e as rare visitors Naturally , too , the increase , of population and the advance of civilisation have caused a m e great change in ani al and plant life . Many speci s, once m m m co on , are no longer to be found and any new species have been introduced . Probably the m ost i m posing of the ani m als which have roam ed over our district since the advent 0 an was the form of elephant known as the m a possessed enor m ous tusks and was covered c oarse hair with an under pelage of short 42 BERKS HI RE

fit t ed m s so as to be for li fe in a cold cli ate . Its bone

s have been found in several places in Berk hire , and teeth

m A R R s m fro bingdon and eading are in the eading Mu eu .

The rhinoceros once lived in Berksh ire , for bones,

probably belonging to a woolly species, have been found i n

a railway cutting near Chilton . Bones of the bear, wolf,

and bison have been found in the Drift deposits, and the

s m wild boar was hunted in Berkshi re in hi toric ti es . The badger is a harm less ani m al w hich lives a quiet m life , spending the dayti e in a burrow , often i n a fox

m . earth , and only co ing out at night It is in consequence m m m m uch ore co on than is generally supposed , and our

county form s no exception . The history of the various form s of deer in Berkshire

is of considerable i nterest . The red deer is a native of m m the county, for its re ains have been found in the arsh m m deposits . It lived in various parks until the Co on

m . wealth , when ost of the deer were killed It has been

s reintroduced and is now to be seen in Wind or Park ,

G m . aleot Park, and at Ha pstead Marshall The fallow deer lives in a m ore or less tam e state in several parks in the county , and it is probably an original inhabitant of

Berkshire, for it occurs as a fossil at B rentford , in Middlesex .

c e rt a in l a m The roe is y native , for re ains have been found m in the Newbury arshes . It now lives i n the woods S about V irginia Water and unningdale . The reindeer

‘ has been found as a fossil at Windsor .

’ Ah i m perfect skull of the m usk o x was found in a 1 8 bed of gravel near Maidenhead in 55, and is now m in the Natural History Museu at South Kensington . NATURAL HISTORY 43

It w a s t he first discovery of the rem ains of this ani m al in

Britain . As m ight be expected there are no very outstanding m features in Berkshire ornithology . The idland position of the county is against any long list of foreign visitors, and there are no fens or broads to tem pt the special birds ff a ecting such localities . The heron is often to be seen ,

e and th re is a heronry at Virgi nia Water, and others at m A Coley Park, Buscot, and Wytha bbey . Woodpeckers, m m m m as ight be supposed , are ore especially co on in the forest districts of eastern Berkshire . The carrion cro w is a resident but is very local in occurrence . The m m hooded crow is a rather unco on winter visitor . The

u s w peregrine falcon often visits , but the buzzard , hich used to live and breed in the county , is now but a rare visitor . The great bustard was a resident up to the end of the eighteenth century but is n o w n o longer to be counted w as a British bird . The s ans which we see on the rivers and on m any lakes and ponds are for the m ost part m private property, but there are often wild birds a ongst m the .

O f - m m m reptiles found i n Berksh ire , the slow wor , co on

m first snake , and lizard abound on the oorlands, and the m m of these on the chalk the adder is not at all co on . m Ti e was, and that not so very long ago, when the m m m sal on ight be caught in the Tha es . In the reign of Edward III a petition was m ade to the

K m m n fish ing, co plaining that sal o and other in the Tham es were taken and destroyed by engines placed to catch the fry , which were then used for feeding pigs . 44 BERKSHIRE The King was asked to forbid the use of these engines

between London and the sea, and also to decree that no sa lm on be taken between Gravesend and Henley bridge A 1 1 in winter . book on angling published in 8 5 speaking m m m of sal on says , so e are found in the Tha es which the writer believes were justly considered to be superior ” to any bred in other rivers . In recent years an atte m p t has been m ade to r e m m m introduce the sal on into the Tha es, and any young

m so sal on have been turned out in the river, but far

without any useful result .

m m a But though the sal on has been , and again y be m an inhabitant of the Tha es, the brown trout is, and

fish always has been , the of Berkshire . It attains a large

fish m 8 1 2 . size , and of fro to lbs are frequently caught

m . in the Tha es There is, however, a scarcity of suitable

- breeding places for trout in the river, and the stock ,

u during recent years, has been kept p , by introducing

fish young , and not only brown trout but also Lochleven trout and rainbow trout have been turned into the river m in great nu bers . Many of the tributaries of the m m m Tha es are excellent trout strea s, the La bourn

being a particularly good one . The pike is found in the rivers and in m any a lake and pond th roughout Berkshire . Grayling occur in the

Kennet and are occasionally caught in the Tha m es .

- m fish The gudgeon is a well known Tha es ; and perch , m ff roach , dace , barbel and innows abound . The little ru ’ fa i l m m m m or pope is < y co on in the Tha es, and the iller s m e m fish thu b , anoth r s all belonging to the cooler parts of NATURAL HISTORY 45

m m the world , is to be seen in ost of our strea s darting

la e fr o m , c u dd p to place with great rapidity . The r , wh ich is generally distributed through the m ore level part of m m m England , is not co on in Berkshire . The brea is m occasionally caught in the Tha es , but it is not a native m and was probably introduced fro Norfolk .

Th e Pin e Plantation s n e ar W e llington Coll e ge

The great variety of soil found i n the river valleys, on the chalk downs, and in the forest district gives rise to m uch di ff erence in the vegetation in difler en t parts of the county . The beds of bullrush , the yellow and purple

s - loose trife , and the wh ite and yellow water lily are inti m ately associated with the beauty of the Tham es . 46 BERKS HIRE

- The ling, the bell heather, and the cross leaved heath cover large tracts in the eastern part of the county, and m the bilberry is found in the woods of the sa e district . m The bra ble abounds in the forest parts, and of cultivated fruits we have large orchards of plum s and cherries in the S m northern part of the county . o e rare orchids are to be found on the chalk, and in the peat districts the m i nteresting little sundew is quite com on .

W e llington i a Av e nue n e ar W e ll ington C o ll e ge

In the chalk district the holly and beech grow well , m and fin e oaks are to be seen in any parts of our county . ’ O a k m Herne s , i n Windsor Park, has given rise to uch discussion , but there can be little doubt that the tree known by that nam e to Shakespeare was cut down in

m fin e m 1 796. There are so e avenues of el s in Windsor — Park notably the Long Walk .

48 BERKSHIRE

m . G s s s greater da pness reat Bri tain po ses es, by rea on of m m its position , a te perate insular cli ate , but its average annual te m perature is m uch higher than could be expected

m - fro its latitude . The prevalent south westerly winds cause a drift of the surface- waters of the Atlantic towards

m - our shores, and this war water current , which we know

G S a m m as the ulf tre , is the ch ief cause of the ildness of

our winters .

M m u s m A ost of our weather co es to fro the tlantic . It would be i m possible here within the lim its of a short chapter to discuss fully the causes which aff ect or control

m su fiic e weather changes . It ust to say that the conditions m are in the ain either cyclonic or anticyclonic , which

rm m a s m te s y be best explained , perhap , by co paring the m m ai r currents to a strea of water . In a strea a chain of eddies m ay often be seen fringing the m ore steadily m R oving central water . egarding the general north m m A m easterly oving air fro the tlantic as such a strea , a chain of eddies m a y be developed i n a belt parallel with

its general direction . This belt of eddies or cyclones , as m m m they are ter ed , tends to shift its position , so eti es m m passing over our islands, so eti es to the north or south m m of the , and it is to this shifting that ost of our weather changes are due . Cyclonic conditions are associated with a greater or less a m ount of atm ospheric disturbance ; m anticyclonic with cal s . ' The prevalent Atlantic winds largely a fle c t our island

m . in another way, na ely in its rainfall The air, heavily m laden with m oisture fro its passage over the ocean , m eets with elevated land - tracts directly it reaches our CLIMATE AND RAINFALL 49

— m v shores the oorland of De on and Cornwall , the Welsh m m m ountains, or the fells of Cu berland and West orland

— - and blowing up the rising land surface , parts with this m oisture as rain . To how great an extent this occurs is best seen by reference to the m a p of the annual rainfall of England on the next page , where i t will at once be noticed that the heaviest fall is i n the west, and that it decreases with rem arkable regularity until the least fall

. 1 06 is reached on our eastern shores Thus in 9 , the m axi m u m rainfall for the year occurred at Glaslyn in the S 2 0 nowdon district, where 5 inches of rain fell and the S ff lowest was at Boyton i n u olk, with a record of just

2 0 . under inches These western highlands, therefore , m a m m y not inaptly be co pared to an u brella, sheltering

u the country f rther eastward from the rain . m The above causes, then , are those ainly concerned

in flu e n c in m i n g the weather, but there are other and ore c local factors wh ich often a fie c t greatly the cli m ate of a

m c o n fi u ra t io n place , such , for exa ple , as g , position , and soil . The shelter of a range of bills, a southern aspect,

m a a sandy soil , will thus produce conditions wh ich y differ greatly from those of a place— perhaps at no great distance— situated on a wind- swept northern slope with a cold clay soil . Berkshire is a n inland county but no part of it is as m uch as 75 m iles from the coast . The chalk downs fi m m have a ne bracing cli ate , and though so e of the valleys m a y be relaxing and som e of the m oorland tracts m bleak, the general cli ate of the county is exceedingly healthy . Com pared W ith the south coast Qf En gland

M . B . 4

CLIMATE AND RAINFALL 5 1

m Berkshire is rather cooler , with so ewhat less sunshine and less rain than the coast . m m Te perature , it should be re arked , varies according 0 1 to height above sea level , falling about Fah r . for each 1 00 00 m to 3 feet upwards . In a co paratively level district, l r ike Berkshi e , this is not a very serious consideration . The m ean tem perature for the year varie s in diff erent parts of England from about 47 3 in the north - eastern counties

- m to about 49 6 in the south east . The ean tem perature is about 49 0 in northern Berkshire and about in

- m a south western Berkshire . It y be of interest to give the m ean tem perature for one year at places in and close around Berkshi re . We take the year 1 907 and the — figu res are as follows Maidenhead Wokingham S m warraton in Ha pshire 47 9 , Marlborough i n

8 . Wiltshire 47 4, and Oxford 4 9 The average te m perature in the m onth of January c m 0 8 0 difie re n t varies fro 37 to 3 in parts of the county, m m 6 and the average te perature for July fro 597 to 2 0 . In England bright sunsh i n e is m ost prevalent on the m coast and decreases inland . The annual total a ount for the south and east coast from Cornwall to Norfolk is nearly

1 8 00 m hours , whilst in the northern idland counties the

1 0 defin am ount is about 2 0 hours . There are no it e data m available for giving the a ount for Berkshire , but there are probably about 1 500 hours of bright sunshine in the year . The rainfall varies a good deal in diff erent parts of ’

’ t h e c o u n t m h y . The a ount is lowest in the nort east

- and highest in the south west . Thus Wallingford a nd — 4 2 5 2 BERKSHIRE

Cookham have a rainfall of about 2 3 inches a year on an At R m average . eading, which is so ewhat to the south m 2 west, the a ount is nearly 4 inches a year, and on a line running through Wellington College and Yattendon the m 2 m Ash a ount is nearly 5 inches . Letco be Regis and t bury have a rainfall of between 2 5 and 2 6 inches . A fi u re 2 6 — Faringdon the g is above , and in the south western corner of the county there is a rainfall of about 2 9 inches a year . The average yearly rainfall for the whole of 1 6 2 England is 3 inches, and for the British Isles it is inches . Looking at the extrem es of rainfall in England we h n d the lowest at Shoeburyness with an 1 S average of 97 inches for the year, whilst eathwaite in Cum berland has an average rainfall of 1 33 53 inches m per annu .

— P i P l . u l . 9 . eop e Race op at on

We know little about the ancient people who m ade and used the flint i m ple m ents wh ich are found in the R river gravels around eading and at other places, and

m the S A e even when we co e to the latter part of tone g , though we hn d skeletons in the barrows or m ounds upon m our downs, our infor ation about the race is exceedingly m a t s all , and this is perhaps not to be wondered , for in no case do we hn d any knowledge of the art of writing in the stage of culture when only stone and no m etal m m m i ple en ts were used . Moreover, we ust bear in m m ind that .all we know about early England fro written — RA P PU 5 3 PEO PLE CE . O LATION history is from the works of foreign m erchants or of foreign con querors . The Belgae who occupied the part of B ritain south ’ of the Tham es at the tim e of Caesar s invasion m a y have m been partly or m ostly Gauls . The tribe na ed the A m trebates occupied ost or all of what is now Berkshire , and Silchester in Ham pshi re was thei r chief town . During the Rom an occupation the district was far m fro the frontier, and the i nhabitants continued their l m m R m peaceful village ife , beco ing ore or less o anised . After the departure of the Ro m ans the Saxons spread gradually over the country and were probably settled in A D 68 m Berkshire before . . 5 . The invaders ade a clean R m sweep of o an civilisation , destroyed the villages and houses, and extirpated the Christian religion . A D A m In . . 597 ugustine with his band of onks landed S in the Isle of Thanet , and the conversion of the axons m proceeded rapidly , and i n ti e letters, arts, and civilisation returned to the county . In later ti m es Berkshi re was overwhel m ed by the m Danes, and conquered by the Nor ans, but neither Danes nor Norm ans m ade anything like so great a change in the face of the country as had been eff ected S S by the axons , and there is even now a large axon m ele ent in our people, i n our language , and in our m m anners and custo s . In early days there was a considerable population m living on the chalk downs, but by degrees they oved m m elsewhere , and for a long ti e the people were ainly gathered i n the valleys, especially along the banks of the 5 4 BERKS HIRE

m rivers Tha es and Kennet . Nearly all the Berkshi re

s towns are situated upon one or other of those river . In quite m odern ti m es there has been a great increase

s of population in the ea tern end of the county , large areas

- of heath land having been built over . The population of Berksh ire was steadily increasing 1 8 0 1 during the whole of the last century . In the census gave a population of and this had i ncreased in 1 8 5 1 to and i n 1 90 1 to That is to sa y the population of the county had m ore than doubled in the century . I n 1 90 1 there were people living in the R m county borough of eading . O f the six unicipal boroughs i n Berkshire Windsor had the largest po pu la m tion , and the others in order of nu bers of inhabitants A m were Maidenhead , Newbury, bingdon , Wokingha , and Wallingford . O f the persons registered as inhabitants of Berksh ire 1 0 1 8 1 0 m in 9 , 39 were in hospital , 5 of who were i n the Royal Berkshire Hospital at Reading ; 1 63 8 were in A m m 6 6 Lunatic sylu s, of who 4 were i n the County A m 6 m Lunatic sylu , Cholsey ; 57 in the Cri inal Lunatic A m m S sylu at Broad oor, and 33 5 i n the Holloway ana t o r iu m m S , Egha , which is in the county of urrey , but is included in Berkshire for regi stration purposes . One m a n and one wom an were described as over

1 00 years of age and they were both living in Reading . Five m e n and thirteen wom en were described as between

95 and 1 00 years of age . In the m ilitary barracks in the county there were

5 6 BERKS HIRE

to be old sea beaches, but this was an error ; the sea had

nothing to do with their form ation . They are cultiva m m tion terraces i n ost cases , though i n so e instances they

m a be y , at least in part, due to landslip or to a natural

accum ulation of rain wash . During Sa xon ti m es the greater part of Berkshire

m a n d ca e under cultivation , agriculture has ever since m been the ai n industry of our county . The Vale of White Horse and its neighbourhood is one of the m ost m fertile tracts i n England , and there is also so e rich m A pasture land on the alluviu by the rivers at bingdon , m R Purley, Newbury, Woolha pton , Theale , eading, and

Twyford . In the eighteenth and the early part of the nineteenth

- ro fit a ble centuries corn growing was very p , and a great m deal of land was laid down in corn , so e of it being m far from suited to the purpose . In later ti es the profit on corn has been red u ced and som e of this land has been turned to other uses or has gone out of cultivation . In 1 9 05 the area in Berkshire devoted to corn was 1 08 acres, and in 9 the area was acres, a reduction 2 m of 799 acres . The reduction was ainly in the crop of wheat, there was only a slight reduction in barley, whilst m there was an increase in the a ount of oats . The relative

m o f w he a t 1 08 a ount , barley, and oats grown in 9 is shown

111 the d iagra m at the end of this volum e .

- Berkshire is not one of the great fruit growing counties . 1 0 2 In 9 8 the acreage returned as orchards was 2 94 . The total am ount of arable land i n the county in 1 908 was acres . This includes the land under AGRICULTURE 5 7

clover, sainfoin , and grasses under rotation acres . m m The area of per anent grass was acres, aking a total of acres under either crops or grass . At the present ti m e the production of m ilk is one of m m the ost i portant industries of the county, the chief dairy district being the northern part and the tracts along the

f In 1 8 m rivers . 90 the nu ber of cattle in the county was A cheese like single Gloucester is m ade in the

Vale of Wh ite Horse . The num ber of sheep i n Berkshire was returned as They do not belong to the breed form erly ” “ m known as Berkshire . This was a large ani al with

m n o w black face and black or ottled legs, wh ich is

h a s replaced by other kinds . The county long been m m fa ous for its pigs, wh ich nu bered in the 1 8 year 90 . m In for er days the vine was cultivated in Berkshire , and a little vineyard existed as late as the reign of George III outside Windsor Castle and to the east of ’ V III S h n d m Henry gateway . We also ention of vine fi W A m . yards at bingdon , Bisha , Burgh eld , and allingford The num ber of m en engaged in agriculture i n Berk m shire was at the ti e of the last census .

r s M f r s 1 I u s . 1 . nd t ie and anu actu e

As we have said , Berkshire is essentially an agri

u u - m cult ral co nty, and the cloth aking which i n the days of Ashm ole was so great a trade that al m ost the whole

m m ra c ti nation was supplied fro our county, has beco e p 5 8 BERKS HIRE

cally obsolete . There are however at the present day several industries which give em ploym ent to a large num ber of workers in the county . Probably the one m ost defin it e ly connected with our county town Reading m m is the aking of biscuits, an industry of quite odern m growth . Printing, too, is carried on at i portant works

R m firm s at eading belonging in any cases to London , and

Factory G irl s l e aving Work at R e adin g there are also m ore or less active printing presses at nearly all our towns and in country places too . Printing i n

1 2 8 Sc o la r Berkshire goes back certainly to 5 , when Joh n set up a press in the Abbey of Abingdon and printed

br e v ia m m a Ry, a copy of which is preserved at E anuel m College , Ca bridge . One of the oldest of existing news

15 R ea din M er cu r papers the g y, started in that town in

1 7 2 3 . INDUSTRIES AND MANUFACTURES 5 9

B rewing has been carried on from the days of the m onks, and no doubt plenty of good ale was brewed i n A A R the bbeys of bingdon and eading . There is a record m m At of alting ills in Wallingford Castle i n 1 3 00 . the

m Rea din W in dso r present ti e there are large breweries at g, , and other places . Tanning is another very old industry which is still carried on with activity . The bark of the m oak was for erly used to a large extent in tanning, and there has always been an abundance of oak trees in the

. S county Oak bark is still used to som e extent . hoe m n m aki g used to be an i portant cottage industry , but the introduction of m achinery has carried the work to large s factorie elsewhere . Ne w bury was at one ti m e a great place for barge

o f m a n building, and boats kinds are now built at ’ y m various places on the Tha es and Kennet , indeed boat building c ounts am ongst the m ore i m portant of our active industries . We have already m entioned cloth - m aking as one of m m the great i ndustries of the county i n for er ti es . The R A chief centres were eading, bingdon , and Newbury . A m m 1 2 0 fulling ill at Newbury is entioned in 5 . The m m interesting Cloth Hall at that place , now a useu , was

G Clo t hw o r k e rs built by the uild of of Newbury , which 1 60 1 was incorporated i n , and the beautiful old house of Shaw was built by a Newbury cloth ier nam ed Thom as m 1 1 m m Dol an i n 58 . The ost fa ous of the Berkshire

m Sm a lw o o de clothiers was John Wi nchco be or , known as Jack of Newbury (died During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the clothing trade declined . This 60 BERKSHIRE was partly due to the activity of the northern clothiers and to the i ntroduction of m achinery with the resulting S 1 8 1 6 factory syste m . till as late as there were works in

K a t es ro ve R - g Lane , eading, where sail cloth for the navy m was anufactured in large quantity . m m The silk industry too , once of so e i portance , has At left the district . the end of the sixteenth century silk—stocking m aking was quite an i m portant i ndustry at m m m Wokingha , and any ulberry trees were planted in S m and near the town . ilk anufactures were also active R at eading , Newbury, Kintbury, Twyford , and other places . Seed - growing is an i m portant industry at Reading m and e m ploys a large nu ber of people . Iron and brass foundries of som e i m portance are R m established at eading and any other places , and there are large engineering works at Wantage . There was a good bell - foundry at Wokingham in the m R last quarter of the fourteenth century (te p . ichard II), m A 1 and several bells ade there still exist . bout 495 the

R - business was transferred to eading, and bell founding was carried on at that place until the beginning of the eighteenth century . m Lastly, the open country near La bourn has long

- been used for training race horses, and there are very “ large stables in this part of the country . The gallops

m m s now extend fro Co pton , Il ley , and Wantage to

Lam bourn . MINERAL S 61

i M r l s . 1 2 r l s . B u l . Mine a d ing ate ia

There is very little i n the way of m inerals i n the rock or soil of the county . Bands of ironstone are found in the m Lower Greensand for ation , and it appears to have been

n A m worked near Fa r in gdo . group of s all hollows to the east of Little Coxwell are known as Cole ’ s Pits and were probably dug to get the iron ore .

e o K Whit n i ng Fact ry , intbury Two chalybeate springs at Sunninghill were at one ti m e quite well known . m m Whiting or whitening has for a long ti e been ‘ anu u r e d m c ha lk ' w h ic h I fa c t at Kintbury fro soft S dug there . A layer in the Reading Beds at Reading used to be dug ’ as fuller s earth for th e clothiers of that town . 62 BERKS HIRE

Be fore the Norm an conquest m ost of the buildings in the county were of wood , and of course wood has

m s S been very largely used in buildings at all ti e . plendid exam ples of hewn ti m ber- work m a y be seen in m any of

n m our churches and other buildi gs . There is for exa ple ’ som e very fin e old ti m ber i n the Canon s Cloisters at

Windso r Castle . Brick was a building m aterial in the ti m e of the Rom ans and its use was m ost probably never wholly m m discontinued . In Tudor ti es any of the buildings

m s were of brick and ti ber , and picture que brick and ti m ber structures of various dates will be found in all ’ a s 05 parts of our county . The g llery at Chri t s H pital ,

A m . bingdon , shown on the next page , is a good exa ple All the clay for m ations in Berkshire have been used

m K a t es ro ve for brick and tile aking . The works at g and other places on the banks of the Kennet at Readi n g are

o very old and certainly g back to the sixteenth century . In 1 90 1 there were 1 0 2 9 m e n and 3 5 wom en engaged in m brick, ce ent , pottery , and like works in Berkshire . The li m estone rocks of the Corallian form ation have been m uch quarried in the district between Faringdon m r and the river Tha es near Oxfo d , and the stone has been used in buildings of all ages . Chalk has also been extensively quarried for building purposes . There is a great deal of chalk in the walls of ’ the Dean s Cloisters and also i n other parts of Windsor

m - m a m Castle . Chalk fra e work y be seen in any church

. At windows, at Old Windsor and Bray for instance m St m Waltha Lawrence there is a very curious exa ple,

64 BERKSHIRE squares being stone and the others form ed of sm all dressed

A - Hints . nother exam ple of this chequer work is shown in the view of the church at White Waltham here given . The hard sandstone which has been derived from the “ ” m 0 Eocene strata and is ter ed sarsen (see p . 4 ) is an m i portant Berkshi re building stone . There is a great deal

Whit e Waltham Church

of it in the walls all over Windsor Castle , several of the towers and walls being faced with sarsen . In som e of the Berkshire gravel beds there is a hard i m rony conglo erate , and this has been used as a building St m aterial . There is a good deal in the tower of Giles

R m . Church , eading, and in the parish church at Wokingha MINERALS 65

There are m any building- m aterials used in the county m s which have been brought fro other district , but this chapter only deals with things found in Berkshire itself. Chalk was form erly used to a large extent for chalking m the soil , but the practice has now al ost fallen into disuse , an d in consequence one sees abandoned chalk pits all over the chalk district . The reasons for giving up chalking are the increase in the cost of labour and the decrease i n m r the value of corn crops, together with the uch large

a r tific ia l m m m use of anures . The fertility of any far s now is nevertheless due to the li m ing and chalki n g of old days,and it is to be regretted that the practice has been abandoned to so great an extent .

1 Th His r f r k s ir . 3 . e to y o B e h e

It has already been m entioned that Berksh ire probably cam e into existence as a county in the ti m e of King

Egbert , who brought the long struggle between the kingdoms of the Heptarchy to a close and established the as cendancy of Wessex over m uch of the south of

England . It is probable that there was still a population living on the chalk downs and in occupation of the old f orts, and the fertile Vale of White Horse was gradually m co ing under cultivation . In any case there W a s a royal r A t h esidence at Wantage , where lfred Great was

8 fo u n da t io a A born in 49 , and a religious n at bingdon . ’ n R There were also at least two tow s, eading and

Wallingford .

M. B . 66 BERKS HIRE Already in the previous century the English coast had

been harried by the Viking pirates, but there is no record 8 1 of thei r having penetrated to our district . In 5 they m m S did indeed ake their way up the Tha es into urrey,

E t he lw u lf but were defeated by , the son of Egbert, and

Et helba ld h is son at Ockley . They next approached m 8 60 Berkshire fro the south coast, and in attacked and

u plundered Winchester, but were defeated by the nited m forces of Berkshire and Ha pshire . Ivor the Dane is said R 868 R to have reached eading in , and eading was captured

and occupied by the Danes in 8 7 1 . Ethelred was at this ti m e king and together with h is A R b other lfred fought the Danes near eading , but was

not successful and retreated westwards . The Danes

Assa n du n followed and the great battle of , in which the

Danes were put to flight, was fough t on the chalk m A 8 1 downs at so e place to the west of ldworth in 7 . m There is uch doubt as to the exact site of the battle . At one ti m e it was supposed that the White Horse was

- m m cut on the hill side as a e orial of the victory, but it is so m now known that this was not , for the horse is uch

older than the date of the battle . The Danes retreated R 1 to eading, and only 4 days afterwards they got the S fi ht m better of the axons i n a g at Basing in Ha pshi re , m and were again victorious two onths later at Merton . A truce, however, followed and the Danes retired to All 8 1 London . this was in the year 7 , and during the sam e year King Ethelred died and A lfred the Great

m . A w ho 0 1 beca e king How King lfred , ruled until 9 , eventually defeated the Danes and cam e to term s with THE HISTORY O F BERKSHIRE 67

m w m the is well kno n , and Berkshire for a ti e enjoyed peace . About this ti m e there was a royal residence at

a r in do n F g , for it is recorded that Edward the Elder died

e o f K e S tatu in g Alfred , Wantag

A m there i n 92 5 . His son thelstan had a int at Walling h im ford , and three coins struck by at that place are in m the collection at the British Museu . The m onastery at A bingdon had been destroyed by the Danes, and St — Ethe lw o ld t e it b u was told by King Edred to establish , t — 5 2 68 BERKS HIRE

m the work was not acco plished until the reign of Edgar . m R Ethelred the Unready had a int at eading . In 1 006 the Danes agai n appeared in Berkshire and burnt Reading . They then advanced up the Tha m es to

Wallingford and burnt that town . They did not , how m ever, re ain in the county, but carried their booty to the R sea by way of Winchester . Both eading and Walling ford were soon rebuilt . Edward the Confessor struck m coins at both these towns, and there are speci ens in the m British Museu . The Confessor had a residence at Old

G is Windsor, and the great Earl odwin said to have died

m m o d there i n a anner attributed to the j udg ent of G . A m The King gave Windsor to the bbey of West inster , but W illia m the Conqueror exchanged it for som e land

s o n i n Es ex , and built a castle the chalk hill near the m Tha es where the present Windsor Castle stands . Ever since the ti m e of the Conqueror Windsor has been a favourite residence of our Sovereigns . In 1 1 2 1 Reading Abbey was founded by King Henry I and the first Abbot was appointed in 1 1 2 3 . Henry added m to the buildings at Windsor, and his arriage to his second

Adela is G wi fe , daughter of odfrey Count of Louvain , took 1 m place there i n 1 1 2 . There was at this ti e a castle at

Wallingford , for it is recorded that Waleran , Earl of

Mellen t m 1 1 2 6. , was i prisoned there i n Henry I died in 1 1 3 5 and was buried in Reading

n Abbey . O h is death the peace of the county was m disturbed by civil war, for the crown was clai ed by ’ n Henry s nephew , Stephen of Blois, thou g h he had swor to support the cause of Henry ’ s daughter Maud or

70 BERKSHIRE

M M m atilda . atilda had been arried twice , and as her

first V m husband was Henry , the E peror of the Holy

R m m m s . o an E pi re , she is known as the E pre s Matilda War between Stephen and Matilda began in 1 1 39 and

m s R Spread over ost of England . Wind or and eading S were held for tephen , whilst Brian of Wallingford , a

m M . great agnate in Berkshire , took the side of atilda Wallingford Castle was besieged by Stephen in 1 1 3 9 and A 1 1 . again in 45, but without success castle at Faringdon built by Robert Earl of Gloucester was taken and destroyed 1 by Stephen . In 1 45 Matilda gave up the contest and 1 1 2 reti red to France , but i n 5 her son Henry renewed the war and Stephen again besieged Wallingford and again

H e s unsuccessfully . al o besieged Newbury Castle, which m was held by John Marshal of Ha pstead Marshall . Eventually i n 1 1 53 peace was m ade at Wallingford S tephen to be king for life and to be succeeded by Henry ,

. S i n 1 1 son of Matilda tephen died the next year, 54, and

He Hen ry was crowned as King Henry II . possessed hi m self of Wallingford Castle and held a Council there

1 1 . i n 55 Henry added to the buildings at Windsor Castle , and the lo w er part of the south side of the Upper Ward dates from h is ti m e . In 1 1 63 a duel or wager of battle was fought between Robert de Montfort and Henry of Essex on an island in the Tham es below Caversha m Bridge . Essex was accused of treachery or cowardice , having thrown away

He a the standard in a battle at Coleshill . was defe ted i n the duel and was allowed to join the com m unity of A Reading bbey .

7 2 BERKS HIRE

ee l m w as m betw n the Bishop of E y , whose na e Longcha p ,

ff A m s and Geo rey rchbishop of York , and Longcha p cau ed ff Geo rey to be arrested . Prince John took the part of Geoff rey and called a Council at Reading to dem and

u st ific a t io n m m m m j fro Longcha p , who was su oned to m m eet the prince at Loddon Bridge , presu ably the bridge m on the Reading and Wokingham road . Longcha p did

not appear, and all the participators in the arrest of the m m R Archbishop were exco unicated in eading church . m Longcha p eventually reti red to the continent , and John

obtained possession of Windsor Castle , but gave it up to Queen Eleanor until Richard should com e back—which ’

1 1 . O n R 1 1 he did in 94 ichard s death , in 99, his brother 1 2 0 John beca m e King . In 4 he obtained possession of S m Beckett near hrivenha , once the property of the Earls m of Evreux , and he probably lived there at ti es, for a m andate to the Sheriff of Oxfordshire is dated from 1 2 1 m Beckett . In 3 John held an i portant ecclesiastical

He 1 2 1 Council at Reading Abbey . died in 6 and w as h succeeded by his son Henry, who was in his tent year . m m M Willia Marshal , Earl of Pe broke , son of John arshal m R m already entioned , was appointed egent of the kingdo ,

o fli c e 1 2 1 and he held the until h is death in 9 . ’ In the Dean s Cloisters at Windsor m a y be still seen the crowned head of Henry painted during his life by m of West inster . Henry added largely and the outer walls and towers of the

Lowe are to a great extent his work . Disputes

behv ee n arose Henry and his barons, and Berkshire was

1 2 1 m w as again the scene of civil war . In 6 Parlia ent THE HISTORY O F BERKSHIRE 73

m m m o fi su oned to eet at Windsor, and the castle was f rti ed 1 2 S m by Prince Edward . It was taken in 63 by i on de m Montfort, and the prince was captured . I n ti e , how ever , he escaped and got the better of the barons . 1 2 h In 95, Berkshire sent two knights of the s ire to

m R r e re Parlia ent, and eading and Wallingford also sent p sen t m ta ives. In 1 3 0 7 the Te m plars were expelled fro m m their Preceptories at B isha and Te pleton . I n the tim e of Edward II we hear com plaints of robbers i n

Windsor Forest . 1 1 2 Edward III was born at Windsor in 3 , and h is tenure of power began at a Court held at Wallingford i n 1 2 6 3 , though his father was not deposed until the next year . King Edward wished to hold a Round Table in m A m i itation of King rthur, and he invited a nu ber of knights both English and foreign to assem ble at Windsor 1 Castle in 344 . No doubt a splendid tournam ent took

in I place and others followed subsequent years . In 347 or

' 1 348 a garter with the m otto H o ny sait qu z m a ] y pen se was worn as a device at jousts at Windsor, and the institution of the Order of the Garter in all probability took place at 1 8 m Windsor i n 34 , though so e authorities give the date

1 . At m 1 6 R as 349 Christ as , 34 , the King was at eading 1 and a great jousting was held in his honour, and in 3 59 G Joh n of aunt, afterwards Duke of Lancaster , was m R arried at eading, and there was a great pageant and a tournam ent in which the King and his sons took part . m m During the reign of Edward III , Willia of Wykeha

re - R m built, or built, the ound Tower and uch of the castle 74 BERKS HIRE

at Windsor . The sword of the King is still preserved there . S m In 1 3 2 7 Abingdon had a little fight of its own . o e M of the townspeople, assisted by the ayor of Oxford and m A it is said by so e scholars, attacked the bbey and drove m out the onks , part of the buildings being burnt and the m uni m ents destroyed . In the end twelve of the attacking party were hanged and the m onks restored .

Abingd o n Abb e y

In 1 361 the Black Prince m arried Joan the Fai r

M . m aid of Kent The arriage took place at Windsor, and after her husband ’ s death Joan lived a good deal at

Wallingford . R m 1 The reign of ichard II , which lasted fro 3 77 to

’ 1 m a rk ed b 399 , was y constant troubles between the King with his favourites on the one hand and the nobles on the THE HISTORY O F BERKS HIRE 75

1 8 R other . In 3 7 adcot Bridge was the scene of a fight ’ 000 m en between the King s party of 5 under De Vere , r Duke of I reland , and Henry Ea l of Derby (afterwards

Henry IV) . De Vere was defeated , and only escaped by swi m m ing down the Th am es . ’ 1 R m In 399 ichard s inglorious reign ca e to an end .

He was deposed in favour of Henry of Bolingbroke , son

G m . of John of aunt , who beca e King as Henry IV

d h H s r O f B r k s r c o n tin u e . 1 4 . T e i to y e h i e ( )

m 1 The reign of Henry I V lasted fro 399 to 1 4 1 3 . The hereditary heir to the Crown on the death of R m M m ichard II was a child , Ed und orti er, Earl of M arch , and he was detained a prisoner at Windsor Castle ’ during the whole of Henry s reign , and only liberated by fi Henry V in 1 4 1 3 . There was at least one ght in m 1 Berkshire during the ti e of Henry IV . In 400 an attem pt was m ade by som e of the nobles to fall on the m King at Windsor, but he was warned in ti e , and retired to London , and when the insurgents reached Windsor , they entered the Castle without opposition , searched for

K . M the ing, but found he had gone eanwhile he had

m in su r raised a force in London , and ca e to attack the gent nobles, who retreated , and a sharp encounter took place at Maidenhead B ridge . The insurgents retired to

Oxford and were eventually defeated .

m I n S Ja es , Ki g of cotland , was a prisoner at Windsor

’ m during ost of the last ten years of his long captivity , 76 BERKSH IRE

Tbc 1 2 . o o k wh ich ended by his release in 4 4 His b , ’ Kin s uba ir g Q , was written at Windsor, and it was at

w ho Windsor that he fell in love with Jane Beaufort , w after ards becam e h is Queen . 1 2 1 m Henry VI was born at Windsor in 4 , and beca e

m He King when about nine onths old . grew up weak m in ind , and during his reign all England was involved

R w as m i n the Wars of the oses . Berkshire during ost m 1 60 of the ti e held by the Lancastrian party , but in 4 Newbury was taken by the Earl of Wiltshire on behalf of

. 1 61 the Yorkists In the next year , 4 , the Duke of York m obtained the Crown under the na e of Edward IV . m R Henry VI held several Parlia ents at eading, and A Edward IV also visited the bbey , and it is recorded that in 1 464 he m ade the first public announcem ent of his m arriage with Elizabeth Woodville at a great Council of

R . m the Peers at eading The arriage was not popular, m and i t was especially disliked by the Nevilles, the ost

o f w ho m R o f W a r w ic k powerful , ichard Earl , subsequently ’ defeated Edward s forces and restored Henry VI , but ’ m m Henry s renewed reign lasted only so e six onths , for

Edward defeated Warwick , who was killed , at the battle of

Barnet i n 1 47 1 . Warwick and h is brother the Marquis M of ontagu , also killed at Barnet , were both buried at

Bisham Abbey in Berkshire . ’ The greater part of St G eorge s Chapel in Windsor m Castle dates fro the reign of King Edward IV , and he

first 1 8 . was the of our kings to be buried there , 4 3 The body of his rival Henry V I was re m oved to Windsor fro m R Chertsey Abbey in 1 484 . The beautiful utland Chapel THE HISTORY O F BERKS HIRE 77

’ in St G eorge s Chapel was built by Sir Thom as St Leger

m m An n in e ory of his wife , sister of Edward IV . St R Leger was beheaded by ichard III , but was buried in the chapel and a brass to h i m self and his wife still m re ains on the wall there . After the Wars of the Roses peace reigned i n Berkshire m for any a long year, and the county no doubt increased A i n wealth and prospered generally . considerable part of the land was in the possession of the Church , but i n the days of King Henry VIII the whole of the m onastic institutions were swept away . Owing to the dissolution of the m onasteries a large part of the land in Berksh ire passed into the hands o f the S m Crown . o e of it was granted to Oxford colleges and m uch to private persons .

1 T est w o o d m In 544 three persons, , Fil er, and Peerson

a s 1 6 were burnt at Windsor heretics , and in 55 Julius m R G m m S G Pal er , Master of eading ra ar chool , John win , and Thom as Askew were burnt at the sandpits near

Newbury . 1 8 m Elizabeth , before her accession i n 55 , lived for so e ’ three years at Sir Thom as H o by s house at B isham ; indeed she was practically a prisoner under the charge ’ Sir m of Tho as and his wife s sisters . When she cam e to the throne Elizabeth like her predecessors lived a good deal at Windsor , and we hear of visits by her to

R E n le field Sir F m eading, g House ( . Walsingha ) and other places . It was i n her days that the tragedy took place m “ m which ade Cu nor Hall known all over the world, ’ though its celebrity is due m ore to Scott s novel Ken ifw o r tb 78 BERKS HIRE

. su ffic ien t l than to history The real facts were , however, y Am i R m . S r tragic y, the daughter of John obsart, arried R Lord obert Dudley , afterwards Earl of Leicester, in

1 0 . m 55 Ten years later she was found dead , at Cu nor A Place , which had been recently purchased by nthony R Forster the steward of Lord obert . Foul play was suspected and it was suggested that Dudley had reasons

’ S t G eorge s H all : Win ds o r Ca s tl e for wishing to get rid of his wife as she stood in the way m of higher a bitions. There were no haunted towers of m m Cu nor Hall for Cu nor Place was not a large house . m Now only a few re ains of walls are left on the site . At the beginning of the Civil War Berkshire was R m generally oyalist , and the county was the scene of uch

fi h t in g g during the whole war, an account of which can

BERKSHIRE A second battle took place near Newbury on October 2 th 1 6 R 7 , 44, when the oyalists occupied a position near S m haw House between the rivers Kennet and La bourn .

m fi ht m a Earthworks , re ains of this g , y still be seen at

S . b haw House Donnington Castle , near y, held out for 1 6 6 the King until 4 , and Wallingford Castle fell into the m m hands of the Parlia ent i n the sa e year .

O n 8 t h 1 6 February , 49, Charles was buried in ’ St G eorge s Chapel at Windsor Castle . Since the Civil War there has been only one sm all fi 1 68 n m ght in Berkshire and that was in 8 . O Dece ber 6th m of that year Willia of Orange reached Hungerford , and a force of 2 50 of his m e n cam e into c o n flic t with 600 m ’ R S of Ja es s Irish troops at eading . uperior discipline ’ enabled William s m en to drive the Irish in confusion through the streets into the m arket- place where they m atte pted to rally , but being vigorously attacked in

fir ed m m front, and upon at the sa e ti e by the inhabitants m fro the windows, they fled with the loss of their colours

0 m e n five and 5 , the conquerors only sustaining a loss of . There is not m uch to say of the history of the county since that date , though , owing to the frequent residence S m of the overeign at Windsor, any an event of the highest i m portance and interest has taken place there .

— 1 u s a P r s r . 5 . Antiq itie ( ) eh i to ic

We have no written records of Ma n as he first lived i n our land long ages ago . Writing was an unknown — — art, and records even if they had existed could not have ANTIQUITIES 8 1

u s survived to com e down to . We therefore speak of this period as the Prehistoric—the tim e when the people of the past were unable them selves to record their story . m u s Yet , though these sources of infor ation are closed to , we are able from the relics they have left behind them m m the i ple ents and weapons that they used , the bones of m the ani als they fed upon , the structures they erected to form a fairly clear idea of these early peoples .

But this Prehistoric period , vast in its extent, has

At first for convenience sake been further subdivided . m the etals were unknown , or at least unused , and

S A e th is period is spoken of as the tone g , for it was of Hints and other stones that weapons and dom estic

m m m . m a n i ple ents were ainly fashioned Later , learnt how to get the easily- worked ores of tin and copper from m the rocks and by thei r adm ixture to form bronze . Fro m this, beautiful weapons and other articles were ade , and from the ti m e of the discovery we date what is known as

A e the Bronze g . Doubtless the ores of iron had long m m m been known , but how to s elt the was another atter . At m m length the ethod was discovered , and ankind was in possession of hard m etal i m plem ents having great a d vantages for all purposes over those previously em ployed .

A e Thus the Iron g began , and the early inhabitants of B ritain had arrived at this stage of civilisation when the R m m o ans ca e to our land . We m ay now turn to a consideration of these various

ir l . A st S e . epochs in their order F y the tone g Th is, though a convenient term as covering all the period

M A in de fin it e before the advent of the etal ges, is too

M. B . 6 8 2 BERKS HIRE

m both as to ti e and race , and hence it is usual to speak

S A e t of the Palaeolithic or Old tone g , and the Neoli hic A or New Stone Age . The people of these two ges were

m — a t very distinct, and ost authorities hold that all events

— a m m i n our land vast gap of ti e separated the , though no

a A such g p occurred between the later ges . Palaeolithic m a n m s , fro various causes, cea ed to inhabit what we now

re - call Britain , and when the country was peopled it was

m a n m a n by Neolithic . Palaeolithic lived in the days m m m m when the a oth , reindeer, and hyaena roa ed over our country ; m ade leaf- shaped roughly- fla k e d flint weapons wh ich were never ground or polished ; cultivated no plants

m n o m m m and ta ed ani als ; and built no onu ents, graves,

m a n or houses . Neolithic , on the other hand, learnt how to grind and polish his i m plem ents ; was both a farm er and a breeder of stock ; had m any industries ; and built m m m — m egalithic onu ents, houses, and graves the re ains

v of which survi e to the present day . The earliest signs of the existence of m a n in Berk

m m m s shire are, as we have said , the i ple ents of stone , o tly m m flint, found in the gravels ; and the i ple ents of the

u s m Palaeolithic Period take back to a very old ti e , so old that the surface features of our district were then ff m quite di erent fro what we see now . There is a fin e series of Palaeolithic i m ple m ents in the R M m m m eading useu , and ost of the have been found in gravel - pits near the river Tham es in the Reading and m M Twyford district, or in the Cookha and aidenhead m m district . The i ple ents occur in the gravel in such a way as to prove that they were brought into the position ANTIQUITIES 8 3 in which we hn d them at the sam e ti m e and in the sam e m m en anner as the other stones in the gravel , and the who m ade them consequently lived at or before the date All of the m aking of the beds of gravel . the gravels in m question were ade by our rivers, and as the places where we fin d the i m plem ents are in som e cases from 8 5 to 1 1 4

’ Waylan d S m ith s Cav e

feet above the present level of the river, we infer that the valley has been deepened as m uch as from 8 5 to 1 1 4 feet since the ti m e when the m e n who m ade the i m plem ents lived . m We now co e to the Neolithic Period when , as we

m a n m m s have seen , was a uch ore civili ed person than

6 —2 8 4 BERKS HIRE

m a n m the earlier is believed to have been . So e of his m m burial ounds still re ain , and being oval in plan are Sm ’ m known as long barrows . Wayland ith s Cave , a ile to

A . m m 2 the east of shbury (p is co posed of so e 3 stones , m m the re ains of a long barrow of Neolithic ti es .

Fl int I m pl e m e nt s o f t h e N e ol ithic Pe ri o d found in B e rks hire

m m m Neolithic i ple ents are of stone , but in any cases they are unlike the older i m plem ents in being of polished

R m fin e stone . In the eading Museu there is a polished

m E n lefie ld m flint chisel fro g , and also polished axes fro ANTIQUITIES 8 5

m m m B road oor , fro Pangbourne , and fro the beds of the M m Tham es and Kennet . In the British useu there is a beautiful dagger of flint from a barrow on La m bourn

- Down . Pretty little arrow heads have been found at m any places on the downs and in the Wallingford dis

tri e t . There was i n Berkshire a long interval between the

Palaeolithic and the Neolithic Periods , but so far as we know there was no such break between the Neolithic All Period and the Bronze Age . we can say is that there was a ti m e when the inhabitants of our district m m began to use i ple ents of copper, or of copper alloyed i m e . with tin , . bronze , for so e purposes, but they still m m it continued to use i ple ents of stone , and is not always possible to say whether a stone i m plem ent belongs to

A e the Neolithic Period , to the Bronze g , or to an even

later date . Many re m ains of the Bronze Age have been found

- m in burial ounds or barrows, and the barrows of this m fift period are circular, with a dia eter of y to one hundred m feet, and hence ter ed round barrows . Many pieces of sepulch ral pottery of this age fro m Berkshire will be found both in the B ritish Museu m and the Reading m A m Museu . considerable nu m ber of bronze i ple m ents were found i n one place at Yattendon , and another hoard m A m of the was discovered at Wallingford . great any

- bronze swords, daggers, and spear heads have been found m m i n the river Tha es, and are to be seen in the Museu s . A m S m ce etery of this period was found at ulha , and m any earthenware urns from it are in the Reading 8 6 BERKS HIRE

M m useu . There are also in the Museu m som e urns m S fro Neolith ic barrows at unningdale . The extensive deposits of peat at and around Newbury show that it was a m arsh and lake district until historical m m ti e , and re ains of pile dwellings have been found in

m - m S the arket place , in Bartholo ew treet, and in Cheap

S . fix e d treet Thei r date cannot be with certainty , but m they are al ost certainly prehistoric in age . The substitution of i ron for bronze indicates a con sidera ble m advance in knowledge , for, except in eteorites,

110 m pure i ron is not found in nature , and s all skill is required to separate the m etal from the earth or rock

s fi in wh ich it occur . There is, however, no de nite

A e division between the B ronze and the Iron g , for i m plem ents and orna m ents of both bronze and stone d continued to be used . Nor is there any efin it e end to the I ron Age : it passes onwards into the period of written history . A nu m ber of bones and various objects found in a

m m a n grave on Hagbourne Hill see ed to show that a , a horse , and possibly also a chariot had been buried there . A ncient British coi ns have been found at Brightwell ,

Newbury , Wallingford , and at other places in Berkshire . Many of them bear on one side a rude representation of m a horse , probably an i itation of the horse on the gold m stater of Philip II of Macedon , who beca e king in

D. C . . 3 59 These gold coins, known as Philips, were current in Greece and in the East for a long period , and have been occasionally found in circulation even in m odern ti m es . The White Horse , which is cut in the turf on the

8 8 BERKS HIRE

As m we have said , the chalk district was at one ti e m the ost populous part of the county, and we consequently h n d the downs dotted over with m ounds and earthworks of very ancient date . Perhaps the best known of these is the fin e earthwork nam ed U ffin gt o n Castle on White Horse ’ A s s Hill (see p. lfred s Ca tle is a circular earthwork clo e to Ashdown Park and three m iles south - west of U flin gto n

m - ~ Castle . Letco be Castle is another fair sized work on

B le w b u r t o n H i e B e ll, n ar l wbury

R m five m o f W hit e the idge Way, rather ore than iles east

Horse Hill . There is a large earthwork called Danish

m Blew bu rt o n Ca p on Hill to the south of Didcot . There are a few old earthworks in the Vale of

a u r White Horse district . One crowns B db y Hill near m Faringdon . Cherbury Ca p is a large oval work on low

Sin o du n ground near Buckland . Hill to the north of

fo r t ifie d m Wallingford has evidently been in early ti es, ANTIQUITIES 8 9 and Wallingford itself has the rem ai n s of an old and extensive earthwork round the town . Passing to the Forest District we fin d m any m ounds

on e fi and banks on the heaths, and there is very ne earth ’ m n work known as Caesar s Ca p ear Eastham pstead . It

ve r lik el R m m was y y used by the o ans, but is al ost certainly of still older date . Finally it is highly probable that

n Windsor Castle stands o the site of an old fort .

- 1 6. é x Antiq uitie s ( ) Rom an and S a on .

The Reading Museum contains one of the fin est

A - R m nglo o an collections in England . It is the result m of careful and syste atic excavation , carried on for a S series of years , on the site of the town of ilchester, and the collection is of the greatest interest to u s as illustrating the life in an English country town in the days of the R m . m o ans The locality is however in Ha pshire , the Berkshire boundary m aking a detour so as to leave it in the neighbouring county .

A m a S ccording to the ordnance p, peen House near

R m S in a e Newbury was the site of the o an p , but no R m m o an re ains have been found there , though there is evidence of a settlem ent of som e i m portance at Newbury itself. The foundations of houses of t he Rom an period have been found at several places in Berkshire ; thus at Frilford near Marcham the rem ains of a sm all Rom ano- B ritish b f house were found ; and near y, in Fril ord Field , a m m ce etery of the sa e period, which had subsequently been 9 0 BERKSHIRE

A —S R m used by the nglo axons . e ains of a house with tessellated pave m ents were found on the Great Western R m R m ailway at Basildon , and other re ains of o ano B ritish buildings have been di scovered near Maidenhead m St and Waltha Lawrence . The words “ Rom an Villa will be found m arked on the ordnance m a p at two places to the south of m m Ha pstead Norris , and re ains of buildings have been m R discovered near Letco be egis, and at other places . The earthworks on L o w b u ry Hill to the west of S R m m treatley are usually believed to be a o an ca p , and it is probable that the Rom an soldiers occupied m any of m the old British forts at one ti e or another . Rom an coins and pottery of the Rom ano—British

v m period ha e been found al ost all over the county , though they m ay be said to be m ost com m on along the valley of the Tham es and least so near Faringdon . In the Reading Museum there are a good m any objects of m R S Ro an date which were found in eading itself. peci m ens are exhibited from two sm all hoards of coins dating 6 m A . D from the E m peror Valentinian . 3 4 to the E peror

A D 2 . Honorius . . 4 3 The coins are in very good preserva tion and were probably hidden when the Rom an soldiers departed from England . There are signs of Rom an settlem ents along the ’ m S . Devil s Highway, the road fro ilchester to London Thus there was evidently a Rom ano—British village at Wickham Bushes close to Caesar ’ s Cam p on East A m ham pstead Plain . collection fro this locality exists at Wellington College .

9 2 BERKS HIRE

- m o r Pre Nor an , as it is usually , though with no great m S certainty ter ed , axon building in England , was the work of early craftsm en with an i m perfect knowledge of m m stone construction , who co only used rough rubble

m m - walls, no buttresses, s all se i circular or triangular

’ S t N ie h o la s s Church , Abi ngdon

m “ arches, and square towers with what is ter ed long ” - and short work at the quoins or corners . It survives al m ost solely in portions of sm all churches . The Norm an conquest started a widespread building of m assive churches and castles in t he continental style ARCHITECTURE— ECCLES IASTICAL 9 3

R m n m called o anesque , which in England has got the a e ” m d m . h a of Nor an They walls of great thickness, se i

- circular vaults, round headed doors and windows, and lofty square towers .

m 1 1 0 1 2 00 m Fro 5 to the building beca e lighter, the arches pointed , and there was perfected the science of vaulting, by which the weight is brought upon piers and “ . m G buttresses This ethod of building, the othic, originat ed fro m the endeavour to cover the widest and m loftiest areas with the greatest econo y of stone . The ” first G m English othic , called Early English , fro about 1 1 8 0 1 2 0 m m to 5 , is characterised by slender piers (co only m of arble), lofty pointed vaults, and long, narrow, lancet A 1 2 0 m headed windows . fter 5 the windows beca e

u m broader, divided p, and orna ented by patterns of

m . tracery, while in the vault the ribs were ultiplied The greatest elegance of E n glish Gothic was reached from

1 2 60 1 2 0 a to 9 , at which d te English sculpture was at m its highest, and art in painting, coloured glass aking , and general craftsm ansh ip at its zenith . After 1 3 00 the structure of stone buildings began to m be overlaid with orna ent , the window tracery and vault ribs were of intricate patterns , the pinnacles and spires m loaded with crocket and orna ent . This later style is ” n “ m k own as Decorated , and ca e to an end with the

m . Black Death , wh ich stopped all building for a ti e With the changed conditions of life the type of m building changed . With curious unifor ity and quick “ ”— ness the style called Perpendicular which is u nknown — abroad developed after 1 360 in all parts of England and 9 4 BERKSHIRE

1 As m lasted with scarcely any change up to 5 2 0 . its na e m i plies, it is characterised by the perpendicular arrange m ent of the tracery and panels on walls and i n windows , and it is also distinguished by the fla t t e n ed arches and the m m m square arrange ent of the ouldings over the , by the

- - elaborate vault traceries (especially fan vaulting), and by the use of flat roofs and towers without spires .

e G e o Abb y at way , Abi ngd n

The m ediaeval styles in England ended with the dissolution of the m onasteries ( 1 530 fo r the

Reform ation checked the building of churches . There m — succeeded the building of anor houses, in which the style called “ Tudor ” arose— distinguished by flat—headed

m . windows, level ceilings , and panelled roo s The orna

96 BERKSHIRE

m architecture , and there is a ost interesting little church at Fincham pstead near Wokingham of wh ich a view is given on page 98 . It was built in the twelfth century and the east end of the chancel is round , as was usual at that m m ti e . The original windows were probably very s all,

North Door , Faringdon Church a nd those wh ich we now see were cut in the wall since

m m . Nor an ti es The north aisle, too , is newer than the m body of the church , and the brick tower only dates fro m the seventeenth century . In the church there is a Nor an is m m m font . There ore or less Nor an work re aini ng

' in m any of our other churches . Thus the illustration ARCHITECTURE—ECCLES IASTICAL 9 7 on page 9 2 gives a view of the church of St Nicholas

A - m at bingdon , and a round headed Nor an doorway will m be seen under the tower , whilst the re ainder of the building belongs to a later style of architecture , probably

fift een t h S ff of the century . The tower of West he ord

S outh Door, Faringdon Church

m church is curious, the lower part is round and of Nor an date , whilst the upper part is octagonal and was built subsequently . Passing now to the Early English style of architecture

there is on page 99 a view of Faringdon Church , which it

M B . . 7 9 8 BERKSHIRE will be seen is built in the form of a cross with a m assive m m square tower in the iddle . So e of the arches inside

- m the church are round headed like Nor an arches, but the windows are of the long narrow shape usual in the Early m English style of building . We have churches built ainly

Fi nch am p s tead Church

m A in this style in any places, such as rdington , Buckland , and U flin gto n . O f the Decorated style there is a m ost beautiful

Sho t tesb ro o k m church at near White Waltha , which was W 1 m built by Sir illiam Tressel in 33 7 . It is crucifor m with a tall spire . The walls are of s all dressed flints,

o o m with corners and window and d r fra es of stone . The

100 BERKSHIRE

roof of the nave was added by Henry VII , and that of the choir by Henry VIII . In the choir are the stalls of G m the Knights of the arter, and installation cere onies ’

m . St of the Order are perfor ed here Helen s Church , A bingdon , is our best Berkshire parish church in the

Perpendicular style (the tower is Early English) . It is f large, with ive aisles, as will be seen i n the illustration

Th e U pp e r Cro s s : E a s t Hagbourn e V illage

c hic fl here given . The church at B ray is y celebrated on

S m Ale n - 1 88 account of a vicar, one i on y , who died in 5 n after holding the livi g under Henry VIII , Edward VI ,

a n d Mary , and Elizabeth altering his views as occasion required . The church is however of itself interesting, i m ar d in it will be found exa ples of Early English ,

Decorated , and Perpendicular work . The tower belongs ARCHITECTURE— ECCLES IASTICAL 101

to the latest of these styles and is but badly joined . on to m the aisle of Edwardian date . It is ostly built of flints, but a broad band of chalk will be noticed about half- way m up (p. There is a good exa ple of a church in this

style at Newbury . B rick church towers are a feature of eastern Berkshire

‘ and m any of the m date from the seventeenth century .

Abingdon Pari s h Church

O n e m of these, at Fincha pstead, is shown in the illustration on page 98 . There are crosses or their rem ains i n m any of the At A churchyards and villages . rdington there is both

a new cross and the shaft of an old one . There G t are crosses at Denchworth , oosey, Eas Hagbourne , m S ’ Inglesha , North or Ferry Hinksey, teventon , etc . 102 BERKS HIRE

At Harwell the rood - screen still re m ains ; there are interesting lead fonts at Child rey and at Long Witten ha m ; and stands for hour- glasses still exist in the churches

B in fie ld m at , Hurst, and Inglesha . In form er ti m es it was very com m on to keep books in the churches fastened to the shelf or reading—desk by m m chains, and a few of the still re ain . There are several ’ A St . A in Helen s Church , bingdon chained Bible of 1 61 1 m is in Cu nor church , and until recently there were m several at Denchworth , but they have been re oved to ’ V C a x t o n s Go lden Le en d 1 8 the icarage , and g of 4 3 which used to be chained in Denchworth Church is now i n the

Bodleian Library .

— 1 r r é l s H s s . 8 . A ch itectu e ( ) Re ig iou ou e

A D 2 Nu rsia dre w h s In the year . . 5 8 Benedict of t up i celebrated rules at Monte Cassino i n Italy , and founded the order of the Benedictine or Black Monks . The order rapidly spread over Europe and was established in Berk A A shire at an early period . The great bbey of bingdon m S m dates fro the days of the axon Kings , and at the ti e of Dom esday survey it possessed 3 0 m anors in Berkshire besides lands in other counties, and it continued to grow in wealth and power until its dissolution by Henry VIII .

The great church of the abbey has been destroyed , but there are som e intere sting rem ains of the abbey buildings which , after having been put to varied uses, are now in the hands of the Corporation and carefully preserved .

104 BERKSHIRE wear the m itre and w as sum m oned with the other spiritual m peers to attend parlia ent . f Bo t h Reading and Abingdon were dissolved by m 1 t h 1 Henry VIII, and on Nove ber 4 , 539, Hugh

1 3 t R Faringdon, the 3 abbot of eading, was hanged , drawn, and quartered within sight of h is own gateway . The

o f t h e s m o f S t e Part Ho p itiu J ohn , R ading Abbey last abbot of Abingdon had m ade him self m ore agreeable m m to the king, and was granted the anor of Cu nor for life, and a pension as well . The stone from Reading Abbey was m uch used for R 1 6 buildings in eading and the neighbourhood, and in 55 , M during the reign of Phili p and ary, a great deal was rem oved from the abbey and taken by river to Windsor for ARCHITECTURE— RELIGIOUS HO USES 105

’ n building the Poor Knights Lodgings . The in er gate way of the abbey is still standing but has been partially m m rebuilt in m odern ti m es . There are also so e re ains of the abbey buildings probably belonging to the Hospice of St John . In the ti m e of William the Conqueror (about 1 086) G eo firey de Mandeville gave the church of St Mary

Th e e f e o e o R ct ry , Hurl y Pri ry

at Hurley, together with certain lands, for a cell of Benedictine m onks to be subject to the Abbey of West m m inster, and the re ains of the priory thus founded are

a n d m exceedingly beautiful of uch interest . The chapel ,

in m n o w built the Nor an style of architecture, is the parish church of Hurley . The illustration above shows the refectory or dining hall of the priory. The lower part is in the Norm an style and the upper ' part of Edwardian 106 BERKSHIRE

n date . O the opposite side of this building is the river m Tha es . There was a priory of the Benedictines at Walling

B r o ford , and a Benedictine nunnery at m ha ll in the S m parish of unningh ill , but there are now no re ains of either .

Th e e B G e x el Abb y arn , r at Co w l

The only establish m ent connected with the great order of the Cistercians in the county was a sm all cell G at Faringdon and a grange or barn at reat Coxwell , m both belonging to the Abbey of Beaulieu in Ha pshire .

fin e m The abbey barn , dating fro the fourteenth century, still rem ains . A A The ustin Canons, an order founded at vignon 1 061 m Po u hle San dle about , had priories at Bisha , g y, an d

108 BERKS HIRE

The Tem plars also had a preceptory at B ri m pton which passed into the possession of the o t her great m ilitary m order of onks , the Knights Hospitallers . Their chapel , a m m wh ich st nds close to Bri pton Manor, still re ains and

. S m is an i nteresting building halford far , a li ttle to the east , was also the property of the Hospitallers . The

' 1 0 was order was suppressed in England in 54 , and only m te porarily revived under Queen Mary . There were priories i n the county belonging to foreign abbeys and hence ter m ed Alien Priories— one at S A m teventon belonging to the bbey of Bec in Nor andy ,

St ra t fie ldsa e and the other known as y , but in Berkshi re , A l m V a l e o n t m . belonging to the bbey of , also in Nor andy Both were abolished in the ti m e of Edward III and there m A m m are no re ains of buildings . far na ed the Priory

c near Beech Hill oc upies the place of the latter, wh ich m was on the site of an old her itage .

Sho t t esbro o k There were colleges at , Windsor, and

Wallingford . They were houses of priests who per form ed divine service i n the churches attached to the

r m ho t t esbr o o k colleges . We have al eady entioned S . There is a very curious alabaster m onum ent to William m Th rock orton , one of the later Wardens of the college , i n the chancel of the church representing him lying in his ‘ flin c o . Besides these religious houses there were houses of R m Friars at eading and Donnington , and a nu ber of

HO S it a ls p in the county . ARCHITECTURE— MILITARY 109

i -w - c M l r Ar c h tectu r e ( ) i ita y .

' Attention has already been drawn to the ea rliest fo rt is

fic a t io n s a in the county . They were banks of e rth and

m fo r t ified had probably wooden palisades . In Nor an times

n m m m n reside ces beca e co o and were usually of stone . The history of a Norm an castle was probably often as “ fir t follows . In the s place a tower called a keep was built and was protected by a m oat and probably by som e earthworks . Then at a later date the earthworks were

s replaced by walls, which u ually enclosed a larger space

fo rt ific a t io n than the older . The walls were usually m strengthened by towers, but the keep still re ained the citadel of the fortress . We know that William the Conqueror built a castle 1 086 on the chalk hill at Windsor before the year , but m we know nothing of its plan or for , for no part of the present castle can be dated before the reign of Henry II , and even of that ti m e there are only the foundations and part of the lower story on the south side of the Upper W m ard . The i posing western wall of the Lower Ward ,

m . with its three towers, belongs to the ti e of Henry III The Round To w er on its h igh m ound is the keep of the m m castle , and uch of it is as old as the ti e of Henry III . m R The top part , however, is odern . Close to the ound Tower is an old Norm an gate which Was rebuilt by

Henry III and again by Edward III . The gateway could be closed by doors and also by a portcullis or grille let m down fro above , and the portcullis is still in its place ready to be lowered . 1 10 BERKS HIRE

The view of Windsor Castle given on p. 2 is taken from the Buckingham shire bank of the river Tham es

s n and shows the north side of the ca tle . O the left are the buildings which contain the state apartm ents ; in the R centre is the ound Tower . To the right we see

Th e R T e s s e ound ow r, Wind or Ca tl

’ St G w eorge s Chapel with its great west end windo , and still further to the right is the Clewer or Curfew Tower m with the pointed roof. The ain part of this tower

m He dates fro nry III , and it has been used as a bell tower m since the ti e of Edward III . The pointed roof is

1 12 BE RKS HIRE

Sn elsm o r e m m Co on , and it overlooks the valley of

n Newbury . O the west and south there is a steep slope m down towards the river La bourn , and on the east is

O n a deep valley in the chalk . the north the slope up m m to the Co on is gradual , and so the position is a very

G s e e ateway , Don n ington Ca tl , N wbury

m strong one . Donnington Castle played an i portant 1 6 2 — part in the Civil War of 4 9 , and underwent a long — siege in 1 644 6.

I n form er tim es dwelling places, even though not fo r t ified m . , were at least protected by a oat The inter ARCHITE CTURE— MILITARY 1 13 esting old m anor house of Ashbury is still m oated on m m m three sides, and the old oat re ains i n a ore or less perfect state round m any a farm in the county .

2 0 r r D m s . A ch itectu e o e tic . The churches of the eleventh and succeeding centuries m which re ain are well adapted for their use now, but this cannot be said of the d welling - houses of Norm an or

Edwardian landowners, and this is one reason why we have but few left in anything like perfect condition . The residence of the ch ief landowners of the twelfth century, when not a castle , consisted of a hall , usually on m m the ground floor, but so eti es with a lower story half below the surface level , and the hall was not only a m reception and dining roo , but was also the sleeping place m for the greater nu ber of the persons living in the house . m m I n any cases there were , no doubt, subsidiary cha bers, which m ight serve as m ore or less private apartm ents for m m m the landowner hi self, and as ti e went on the nu ber of the subsidiary cham bers increased and the i m portance m m fi m of the hall di inished , but it i pressed itself so r ly on the popular m ind that the word still rem ains m use for

the house of the landowner , which is often spoken of as “ ” the Hall . There is a doorway belonging to a hall of the Norm an A period at ppleton in the northern part of the county, and we have already noticed som e re m ains of the residen m A tial buildings of the onks of bingdon , belonging to the 8 M . B . 1 14 BERKSHIRE

. At m thirteenth century Charney, about seven iles to A m m the west of bingdon , there are so e interesting re ains of a building which was occasionally the residence of the A bbots . The private chapel and m uch of the house are “ still standing . These buildings, known as the Monks ” m in House , date fro the thirteenth century and are c o r o ra t e d m p in a odern house . There are two old houses at Sutton Courtney south of Abingdon . The one is opposite the tower of the m church , and is of Nor an and Early English style , the m m second is a anor house of the ti e of Edward III , the hall of which , with its roof and windows , has been m very little altered . Cu nor Hall has vanished , excepting m m a frag ent of wall , but so e of the windows and a door m way are still to be seen in Wytha Church . It has been m entioned that one reason why few old — dw elling house s rem ain is that they would not be suited m m to odern require ents, but another reason is that

fift een h they were often built of wood . In the t century m m m m buildings of ti ber and brick beca e co on , and

m m m . O c k w e lls so e of the re ain at the present day , rather m ore than a m ile south - west of Maidenhead m station, was probably built in the ti e of Edward IV . I t was for som e ti m e the residence of the Norris fam ily

fo r t ified (see page The house was not , and is of m a ti m ber and brick with a tiled roof. One y gain a good idea of the appearance of the dwellings of our ancestors in Tudor ti m es from the Horseshoe Cloisters

s in Windsor Ca tle , though they were practically rebuilt m m recently by Sir Gilbert Scott . Ti ber and brick far

1 16 BERKS HIRE

2 t h 1 6 m battle of Newbury, October 7 , 44, and the re ains of earthworks th rown up by his troops are still to be seen

Billin bea r Bin fie ld i n the garden . g , near , is an Elizabethan house standing in a large and beautiful park . A m Ufton Court , near lder aston , was built in the latter m m part of the sixteenth century . Far houses of the sa e

s e e s B s m Way id Cottag , i ha

A period are to be seen at Lyford , west of bingdon , East

G . Hendred , reat Coxwell and at other places m Secret roo s are often to be found in old houses .

m m A fire la c e There is an exa ple at Bisha bbey, with a p , the chim ney o f w hic h is said to be connected with that of

m . At the ball , so as to prevent its s oke being observed

- Ufton Court there are several hiding places, one of which has an exit to the open air . It is said that Charles I ARCHITECTURE— DOMESTIC 1 17

m l t h 1 6 passed the n ight of Nove ber g , 44, in a secret

'

m m n Sh e flo r d. roo at the a or house , West In 1 8 52 som e houses which stood on the site of the m m for er ditch of Windsor Castle were re oved , and a

n u passage was fou d cut thro gh the chalk, with stone steps

n and stone arch ing . It had probably bee a secret way m m fro the interior of the Castle to the oat . We have m any buildings in Berkshi re belonging to

- the seventeenth century . Coleshill House , south west of

Faringdon , was built by the celebrated architect Inigo 1 2 —1 6 2 m m m Jones ( 57 5 ) at the ti e of the Co onwealth ,

m M n S and he also built ost of ilto House, near teventon , m i n which village are so e beautiful old houses . Buscot

- m House, in the north west corner of Berkshire , is an exa ple m m of the co fortable , though not very beautiful ansions built at the close of the eighteenth century . The residen tial part of Windsor Castle dates in part from the reign m m of Henry II , but it has been greatly altered fro ti e to

m ir ff ti e . Its present appearance is largely due to S Je ry W ya tv ille ( 1 766 who m odified and rebuilt a great m deal in the ti m e of George IV . His object was to ake the Castle a com fortable residence and at the sam e ti m e to preserve the appearance of an ancient fortress .

2 1 C m m s i . o u nication Anc ent and M r ode n . R The idge Way is one of the oldest roads in England . It enters Berkshire on the chalk downs above Ashbury at 600 a level of feet above the sea, and runs in an easterly 1 18 B ERKS HIRE

’ direction by Wayland Sm ith s Cave and Uflin gto n Castle ;

Hac k en m thence by p Hill to Letco be Castle, along the top of the ridge north of West and East Ilsley . Fro m

Th e L ondon Road n e ar Sun n inghill

here, turning to the right across the little valley on m D Co pton owns , the road probably reached the river

Tham es at Streatley . This old road is also known as

Ic k n ield m the Way, and there is another old road na ed

120 BERKSHIRE

A fter passing through Oxford it again entered Berkshire, m F field m and ran by Cu nor and y to Faringdon . Fro that place it ran by Buscot Park and crossed the river Isis at ’ St John s B ridge near Lechlade . The London and Bath m ail route ran through the R county by Maidenhead , eading, Newbury, and Hunger ford .

Hungerford C an al

Besides these m a iI- coach routes there were several roads in the county which cam e under the head of ” m m turnpike roads . The ter turnpike road eans a road

- it - first having toll gates or bars on . The toll gates were c r m onst ucted about the iddle of the eighteenth century, and were called turns, and the turnpike road was one upon which those who refused to pay toll could be turned back . Turnpike roads are now practically extinct an d a new

122 BERKS HIRE

m species of highway called ain roads has taken their place . The cost of repair is borne partly by the county and partly A by the Local Highway uthority .

Ca n a ls a n d Riv er s . Canals have to a large extent been supe rseded by railways in these days . It is, however, possible that the advent of cheap m otor traction m a y cause

D i s use d Can al b e tw e e n Abingd o n and Wantag e

a nd A them to revive . The Kennet von Canal runs m fro Newbury , and entering Wiltshire near Hungerford m m furnishes a waterway fro the Tha es to the Severn . The navigation of the river Tham es is i m proved by a m m nu ber of weirs and locks , ost of which have been re- m rec e ht m m m ade in ti es, and if ore useful they are uch less picturesque than in form er days . The level of the

124 B ERKSHIRE

s s returning i nto Berk hire near Moulsford . It then pa ses by way of Didcot into Wiltshire , which county is entered

A n m a little before the line reaches Swindon . i portant G m branch of the reat Western runs fro Didcot to Oxford , and another branch of the sam e railway from Reading to

Newbury , Hungerford , etc . Express trains to the west of England pass over both the Didcot and the Newbury m line , and i n these days they are frequently run fro Paddington to far beyond the Berkshire border without a stop . G The reat Western has branch lines to Windsor, to m m Cookha for High Wyco be , to Henley , to Wallingford , A im to bingdon , and to Faringdon , and also a rather m R portant line fro eading to Basingstoke, giving a m m m f co unication fro Ox ord to the south coast . There is also a light railway with auto—cars running between Newbury and Lam bourn which belongs to the Great

Western . S m R The D idcot, Newbury , and outha pton ailway

m first - m runs fro the na ed place in a southerly direction , R crossing the eading and Newbury line at right angles . The South Eastern and Chatha m Railway Com pany have a branch line running to Reading . It enters Berk shire near the village of Sandhurst . The London and South Western Railway have m m branches to Wi ndsor and to Wokingha , and fro the latter place run trains over the South Eastern line to

Reading . ADMINISTRATION AND DIVIS IONS 125

2 2 m s r D v s s . Ad ini t ation and i i ion r Ancient and Mode n .

The division of the county into Hundreds dates from

Saxon ti m es . Each Hundred was governed by a High

Ba ilifi m Constable , or , and for erly there was a Court of

Justice , called the Hundred Court, wh ich was held i regularly for the trial of causes , but this court fell nto B A m disuse . y various cts of Parlia ent the Hundred is m m ade liable for da age caused to persons by riots . In early days m ost of Berkshire was divided am ongst die r e n t m m anors, and each anor had a Manorial Court or Court Baron . It has been already explained i n Chapter 3 that the present adm inistrative county diff ers som ewhat from the R geographical county, and as the town of eading with a tract around it has been form ed into the “ County ” Borough of Reading it is not for m ost adm inistrative purposes a part of the county of Berks .

o ffic ia ls The chief of Berkshire , under H is Majesty R m the King, are the Lord Lieutenant, the Custos otuloru , S fi and the heriff . The rst two of these o ffic es are usually m held by the sa e person . The oth ee of Lord Lieutenant dates from about the m m ti e of Edward IV , and he was for erly the chief m ili o flic er tary of the Crown in the county . The Custos R m fi m otuloru is the rst a ongst the justices, but the High ' She rifl h as precedence in the county . The Custos selects m the county agistrates, and they are appointed by the 126 BERKS HIRE

o Lord Chancellor . The fli c e of Custos dates from the

m He ti e of Edward III . is nom inally the keeper of

R 1n the County ecords, but these days they are in fact in

the charge of the Clerk of the Peace . The’ Sheri ff was originally elected by the people in m the county, but since the ti e of Edward II he has been

w H e appointed by the Cro n . was the agent th rough

m s m m who the King collected his due , and in ti e beca e the m ilitary as well as the judicial and executive head of the county and headed the po sse co mita tu s or power of the R f county . During the Wars of the oses his in luence m beca e less, and the Lord Lieutenant took his place to m m so e extent . It is recorded in Do esday Book that Godric the She r iff o f Berkshi re ga ve a lady with the nam e of Alu u id half an acre of the royal dom ain as a present m b for teaching h is daughter the art of gold e roidery .

' She r ifi fi m a n The is the rst i n the county , taking

He precedence of all peers and of the Lord Lieutenant . is appoi nted annually . The county is divided into Petty Sessional divisions

m i a rt e r S s for agisterial purposes , and the Court of Q es ions m is a general eeting of all the justices of the county . In R A boroughs, eading, bingdon , Newbury , and Windsor, the Court of e ter Sessions is held by a Recorder .

ff n R The a airs of the county (not includi g eading , which is a County Borough of itself) are m anaged by the

s County Council , which was establi hed by statute of 1 8 8 8 w , and by D istrict and Parish Councils , hich were established by an Ac t of 1 894 . The county is divided

B ra dfie ld m into eleven districts , , Windsor, Cookha ,

128 BERKSHIRE

County Court ci rcuits are quite diff erent from the Assize

Court ci rcuits . For Parliam entary elections the county is divided A into th ree divisions , bingdon , Newbury , and Woking h a m m m m , each of which returns one e ber to Parlia ent . R m m m eading also returns a e ber to Parlia ent , and so does m Windsor, but the Parlia entary borough of Windsor

includes a considerable tract outside Berkshire .

P l l s b l s 2 3 . ub ic and Ed ucationa E ta i h

m ents .

The m unicipal buildings at Reading were erected

1 8 —1 8 t w o during the period 75 9 7, and consist of Town

o ffic es Halls , the Borough Council , a Free Library , the

m Ar t G . O n Museu , and an allery the walls of the reading- room there is a good collection of views of m Reading and of the river Tha es . The Town Hall at Windsor was built by Sir

n Christopher Wren . O the exterior there are statues

A G o f of Queen nne and her husband , Prince eorge m l m Den ark . The Town Ha ls at Wokingha and New bury are m odern brick buildings . The Cloth Hall at the

m m . latter place , now a useu , is very interesting It was

C lo t hw o rk e rs built by the Guild of of Newbury , which 1 60 1 was incorporated in , and has a picturesque wooden cornice and wooden pillars, and a red tiled roof. f m 1 6 0 The Town Hall at Walling ord dates fro 7 , and is supported by pillars, leaving an open undercroft . The PUBLIC ESTABLIS HMENTS 129 Abingdon Town Hall has also an undercroft and dates

m 1 6 . fro 77 It is said , however, to have been designed

1 6 2 . by Inigo Jones, who died i n 5 There is an interesting

Fa r in d n old Town Hall at g o .

Th e l H e C oth all , N wbury

The Ro ya l B e rk shir e Hospital at Reading was O pened 1 8 i h m o m in 39, ar d t ere are any h spitals, ho es, and orphan ages in various parts of the county .

M . B . 13 0 BERKS HIRE The Prison at Reading stands upon part of the site of

Reading Abbey . There is a large County and Borough m m lunatic asylu at Moulsford , and a very large cri inal m m lunatic asylu at B road oor, in the eastern end of the county . R S The oyal Military College , andhurst , is one of the chief Govern m ent institutions for the education of officers

Th e H o Town all, Wallingf rd

m . 1 8 1 2 for the ar y It was built in , and though quite plain i n style , the long frontage on a rising ground , above

fin e ff ff . S a lake , is distinctly e ective The ta College is

m S . in the sa e grounds, but is in urrey Considerable additions are now ( 1 9 1 0) being m ade to the buildings at the Military College .

13 2 BERKS HIRE

S Wellington College , also near andhurst, was built as a public school by public subscription in m em ory of 8 1 2 . B the great Duke of Wellington , who died in 5 y

1 8 8 su m the end of 5 a of had been received . This included a grant of from the Patriotic

Fund . The buildings are of red brick with stone corners,

m 1 8 . etc . , and were co pleted in 59 They have , however,

Th e H Tow n all , Faringdon

Sir been greatly added to since . The chapel is by Gilbert fi m Scott . The rst head aster was Edward White Benson , who subsequently becam e Archbishop of Canterbury .

B ra dfield m College is another i portant public school , founded by Thom as Stevens in 1 8 50 . The buildings are of red brick and flint , and are partly old . There is an

- m open air theatre where Greek plays are perfor ed . PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENTS 13 3 Radley College is beautifully situated by the river m Tha es . The site was part of the property of the A A bbots of bingdon , and passed through the hands of m M the fa ilies of Stonehouse and Bowyer . uch of the old

G e o f t h e O ld G m m o o at ra ar S ch ol , Abi ngd n

m ansion is incorporated in the college buildings . The

Re v . m S D D college was founded by the Willia ewell , . . R m University College , eading , is a co paratively new m establish ent, and the buildings are still in process of construction . Higher teaching in literary and scientific 13 4 BERKS HIRE

A subjects is given, and there is an gricultural Depart m m ent, a Dairy Institute , and a Horticultural Depart ent . There has been a school at Reading from quite early m m ti es, but its history has been a so ewhat broken one . In 1 783 John Lem priere pu bhshe d his Cla ssica l Dictio n a ry m R whilst an assistant aster at the school , and ichard V a lpy was i ts head m aster for 5 5 years ( 1 7 8 1 In addition to the above there are several i m portant A recognised secondary schools at bingdon , B racknell, M Clewer, aidenhead , Newbury , Wallingford , Wantage and Windsor . m m m There are any al shouses i n Berkshire , the ost ’

A . interesting of which is Christ s Hospital , bingdon It is of brick and ti m ber with an open gallery (p. It was m founded under its present na e by Charter of Edward VI , m but had a previous existence . The al shouses near m 1 66 Wokingha , built 3 , and known as Lucas Hospital , m are a good exa ple of seventeenth century brickwork , and are very picturesque . The Jesus Hospital at Bray m was founded in 1 62 7 for 40 poor persons . It is a ost attractive red brick building, with a quadrangle in the m a d m iddle , n a s all chapel , the windows of which have stone fram es which were probably taken from an older building . The quadrangle is shown in the picture by e G m “ Frederick Walk r in the Tate allery , na ed The ” Harbour of Refuge .

13 6 BERKS HIRE

m Little Park is now the Ho e Park, Windsor , and the Great Park and Moat Park are i n the present Windsor ‘ S li G . Fo e o n reat Park unninghill Park, j Park, East m m ha pstead Park, and Bagshot Park, the last ostly in

S m . urrey , still re ain Besides the Parks there were certain enclosed places R R called ails . Cranbourne ails is in Windsor Park .

A s cot Rac e Course

Sw in ley Rails was until recently the place where the deer R R for the oyal Hunt were kept , and Bigshot ails is m R apparently the place now na ed avenswood , near

Wellington College . In the early part of the nineteenth century there was a great deal of discussion as to the rights of the Crown 1 8 1 Ac t m over Windsor Forest, and in 3 an of Parlia ent m was passed dealing with the atter, and the Forest is now ROLL O F HONOUR 13 7

' enclosed either as Crow n land or as the property o f private

A R Sw in le . persons . scot ace Course is in the old y Walk Walter Fitz O ther was appointed by William the

0 1 G Conqueror Castellan , overnor of Windsor Castle , th an d Warden of the Forest ; and the o ee , which has becom e known as that of Constable of the Castle, has existed from his appointm ent to the present day .

2 r . 5 . Rol l o f Honou

A 8 King lfred was born at Wantage in the year 49, and his statue by Count Gleichen stands in the m arket place . The exact site of the palace of the Kings of

Wessex , in which he was born , is not known , probably it was a wooden building . Edward III and Henry VI

' were both born a t W in dso r ; Henry I was buried at R I eading ; Henry VI , Edward I V , Henry VIII, Charles , G G m eorge III, eorge IV , and Willia IV were buried at Windsor ; and Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort

Fr o m o r m m e . lie in the ausoleu at g , in Windsor Park

2 0 1 1 0. King Edward VII was buried at Windsor May , 9 The Marshals of Ham pstead Marshall were a fam ily

f r r i r o w a o s. m m m The ost distinguished of the was Willia , fi m . rst Earl of Pe broke When he was a child his father, M S John arshal , was besieged at Newbury by King tephen , I 1 2 m 5 , and Willia was given as a hostage for a truce and the surrender of Newbury Castle . The father did not k ee his m d p/ ter s, and the child would have been kille had S h im He not tephen taken a liking to and saved his life . 13 8 BE RKSHIRE

m R I beca e a great soldier and served Henry II , ichard , m fi m John , and Henry III with the ut ost delity, beco ing Regent of England during the early part of the reign of

He . 1 2 1 m Henry III died in 9 at Caversha , and is buried m i n the Te ple Church in London . In later ti m es another warrior owned Ham pstead

M . m arshall This was Willia Craven , Earl of Craven — ( 1 606 He fought in the Germ an wars of 1 63 2 3 7 and was the faithful cham pion of Eli z abeth Queen of m m I At Bohe ia, the only daughter of Ja es . the

R 1 688 8 0 o ld w as evolution of , though over years , he in m m ’ G M co and of the King s uards, and acaulay, in his ’ H istor o E n /a n a y f g , describes how unwillingly the stout m old soldier ade way for the Dutch troops at Whitehall . A shdown Park was another seat of the Earl , and is still i n the possession of his descendant .

R A m Sir adley belonged to a gallant sailor, d i ral

G . 1 0 o f? eorge Bowyer, Bart ( 74 who lost a leg A A m I st 1 . S m Ushant, June , 794 nother d i ral , a uel m Hé Barrington ( 1 7 2 9 is buried at Shrivenha .

R w a s m m served under Hawke and odney , and co ander ih - chief in the West Indies . The fam ily of Norris or N o r reys has long been con n ec t ed R No r re s m m with Berkshire . ichard de y , a e ber

m o ffic e of a Lancashire fa ily , held the of cook to Eleanor,

1 2 6 m O c k ho lt wi fe of Henry III , and in 7 the anor of , him nea t M a iden hea dp was granted to . One of his

o o flic e descendants, John N rris, who held in the Court of both Henry VI and Edward IV , built the house

c k w ells c k ho lt m O at O , which has been already entioned

140 BERKSHIRE

1 2 . He E n lefie ld m m 57 died at g , and there is a onu ent h im Sir to and to one of his six soldier sons, John Norris, N in Yattendon church . Francis orris , a grandson of m 1 62 1 Henry Lord Norris, was born at Wytha , and in

w as H e created Earl of Berkshire . left no sons , and m m 1 62 the earldo beca e extinct at his death , 3 . The

barony descended through two ladies, Elizabeth and m Bridget, to Ja es Bertie , who was created Earl of A 6 1 8 2 . bingdon The present peer, whose seat is m A A Wytha bbey , is the seventh Earl of bingdon . St m 1 1 0 ? A Ed und ( 7 rchbishop of Canterbury , A m 1 was born at bingdon , and Willia Laud ( 573 A R also rchbishop of Canterbury, was born at eading, the

m He only son of Willia Laud , a clothier . was educated S R m at the Free chool at eading, and he gave a far to R m eading for charitable purposes . It was sold a short ti e m m ago, and the purchase oney invested , producing so e A m £330 a year . nother charity at Wokingha established

by him also still exists . S 1 2 2 John Jewel , B ishop of alisbury ( 5 was for

m He m som e ti e vicar of Sunningwell . was a volu inous A m writer on theological subjects . nother church an con n ec t e d with Sunningwell was John Fell ( 1 62 5 f B ishop of Ox ord , who was born either there or at 11 0 . Longworth . His father was rector the parish In 1 6 8 m 4 , at the ti e of the Civil War, he was turned out S of his tudentship at Oxford , but continued to celebrate the rites of the church in a house opposite Merton

He m a n College . was a distinguished , but is best known by the lines referring to h im which begin “ I do not ROLL O F HONOUR 1 41

1 6 2 love thee , Doctor Fell . Joseph Butler ( 9 m An a lo o Bishop of Durha , and the author of the gy f

led to five Co n stitu tian a n d R eligio n N a tu r a l a n d R ev ea

Cou r se o N a tu r e f , was born at Wantage , the son of a retired draper who lived at the Priory . 1 0 —1 8 — Sir Philip Hoby ( 5 5 55 ) and his half brother, Sir Thom as Hoby ( 1 530 were both distinguished

“ Th e o el B s m H by Chap , i ha Church

i m m m m d plo atists . The for er received the anor of B isha m fro Henry VIII , and they are both buried there . Queen Elizabeth was dom iciled at B isham under the charge of the ' Ho bys for a ti m e during the reign of her sister

Mary .

Sir M n m o f m John ason , a other diplo atist the sa e

A He period , was the son of a cowherd at bingdon . is 142 BERKSHIRE

descri bed as a paragon of caution , coldness, and craft ,

o fiic e m and held high , diplo atic and political , under

Henry VIII , Edward VI , Mary , and Elizabeth , being in

favour with all these sovereigns .

Sir U n to n U m t o n 1 6 Henry , or p , who died i n 59 , was

m m z both di plo atist and soldier of the ti e of Eli abeth .

He was born at Wadley Hall , near Faringdon , where s h im 1 the Queen vi ited in 574 . The house is still fi m m him standing . There is a ne alabaster onu ent to

i n Faringdon church . In 1 62 6 the title of Earl of Berkshire was conferred

m He on the Hon . Tho as Howard , of Charlton , Wilts .

' Su flo lk 1 was a son of the Earl of , and in 745 the two

m a n titles passed to one , and are so held at the present

day . William L e n t ha ll ( 1 59 1 the Speaker of the m m m House of Co ons in the Long Parlia ent , bought

m B esils Besselsleigh , the house of the ancient fa ily of , i and his descendants still own t . William Penn ( 1 644 the Quaker and founder

- Ru sc o m b of Pennsylvania, though London born , lived at , m m near Twyford , for so e ti e towards the end of his life and died there . m 1 Passing now to authors, Henry Halla ( 7 77

the historian , was born at Windsor, the son of one of the

Sa w b r id e 1 1 m canons . Catherine g ( 73 who beca e G m in turn Mrs Macaulay and Mrs raha , was the authoress of a History of England . In her later years she lived at

B infield and is buried i n the churchyard there . The m 1 6 8 antiquary, Tho as Hearne ( 7 was the son of

144 BERKS HIRE

m steward to the ancient fa ily of Essex , and one of his m m volu es is dedicated to Mistress Essex of La bourn . — M rs Elizabeth Montague ( 1 72 0 1 whose London house was a centre of intellect and fashion , where the “ ” term Blue- stocking was first applied to her conversation

M i s s M itford S parties, lived a good deal at andleford Priory, near m Newbury, and built a large house there fro plans by

Wyatt .

e m Sh cannot, however, clai the close connection with

Berkshire , both as regards life and writings, which is so ROLL O F HONOUR 145 — characteristic of Mary Russell Mitford ( 1 787 1 8 55) who m R lived for a ti e at eading, then at Th ree Mile Cross,

fi Sw a llo w fie ld u and nally at , in the ch rchyard of which ' O u r place she lies buried . Her best known work is

V illa e g , the scenes i n which are laid in the district at and around Three Mile Cross . ’ Thom as Day ( 1 748 the author of Sa n dfir a d a n M er to n . , was the owner of Bear Hill , Wargrave

m Sm alw o o de John Winchco be , alias (died was m a pioneer of the clothing anufacture at Newbury, and

He acqui red thereby great wealth . built a house at Bucklebury on land which had belonged to the Abbey F m R . of eading His descendant , rances Winchco be, m 1 00 arried in 7 the celebrated Viscount Bolingbroke , who m m resided at Bucklebury for a ti e . John Winchco be is

He buried in Newbury church . was popularly known as ” m him Jack of Newbury and any fables are told about . m Tho as Deloney, a weaver by trade, who lived in the latter part of the sixteenth century, wrote the ballad “ m The Pleasant History of John Winchco b, i n his ” younger days called Jack of Newbury . 6 A S 2 . THE CHIEF TOWNS ND VILLAGE K O F BER SHIRE .

(The fig u r es in brackets after each nam e give th e popu lation o f

th e o r s 1 0 1 s th e e n d o f the town pari h in 9 , and tho e at

s s th s o t ection give e reference t h e text . )

Ab in g do n A m unicipal borough in th e Abingdon s o f th is s th e t o f the divi ion e county . It ituated at junc ion river

Abi ngdon B ridge

th e m s 61 m s m Ock with Tha e , ile fro Paddington by railway , and m m w a s 5 6 iles fro London by road . It incorporated by Charter It s is m granted by Philip and Mary in 1 5 5 5 . trade ainly in

it s m s a r e s o agricultural produce , and anufacture carpet , wo llen

148 BERKS HIRE

Av in gt o n A village o n t he river Kennet two and a halt ha s s fin e m m iles ea st o f Hungerford . It a very curiou and Nor an t ] T h e church with a rich arch between h e nave and the chance . font with 1 3 fig u r es is Norm an . (p .

B a lk in U fli n to n s g A village in g pari h , and near T he is sm Ufli n g to n station . church all with a very good Early

f s s s o . Engli h chancel , and an ea t window three lancet light

B a s ildo . . 0 n (Pp 9 ,

B e e c h H ill (p.

B in field R e ct o ry

B e e do n A scattered village o r ham let in t he chalk

- T h e s t o t he o di strict sou th west o f Com pton . church belong peri d Th e o f tran sition between the Norm an and Early Engli sh styles . font is Early Engli sh . m s - s B in fie ld ( 1 A village and di strict three ile north ea t Th is m t h e m o f t he . e o f Wokingha , early ho e poet Pope church The largely built o f conglom erate from t h e gravel . arch under

s is o f . t he t he tower , Perpendicular in tyle , chalk I n church there CHIEF TOWNS AND VILLAGES 149 is a chained copy o f th e Paraphra se o f Era sm us upo n th e New

i l n a r fi z s s m . B l i b e Te ta ent g , a ne Eli abethan hou e with a large

- 1 s t o th e o s o f t h e . . 1 0 1 1 1 6 1 2 park , ie n rth we t village (pp , , 4 ,

B ish a m A pari sh o n th e Tham es a little above

m T h u to . Co o kha . e ch rch and abbey have been already referred

m I O 6 1 n 6 (m 5 7 , 7 3 , 7 6, 7 7 , , , ,

B ray Church

B o xfo r d A village with a railway station o n t he

m o m s — s o f u M m La bourn line f ur ile north we t Newb ry . any Ro an

m s t h e re ain have been found in pari sh .

B r a dfie ld A village seven m iles t o th e west o f

fi l o - . Br a d d is e s . Reading C llege a well known public chool (pp.

B r a y ( 1 A village o n th e Tham es between Maidenhead

- s . T h e m A le n and Wind or well known vicar , Si on y (died 1 5 8 8) 15 0 BERKS HIRE

s c his s o f uc eeded in retaining living during the reign Henry VIII ,

z . T he s s him Edward VI , Mary , and Eli abeth ong wrongly give a later date . T h e church is partly Early Engli sh ; t he tower is

. B s it s m t o t h e Perpendicular ray give na e Hundred , which

f . s m s o . 2 0 62 1 0 0 1 include o t Maidenhead (pp , , , 3 4 ,

B uck la nd A large village four m iles north -ea st o f

. T h e m is m s s Faringdon large crucifor church o tly Early Engli h . T h e central tower is lo w and m a ssive with fin e Early Engli sh T h a s m tower arches. e tracery h in odern ti m es been rem oved

s Th e o f t h s from m ost of t he window . population e pari h h a s

m s s. . 8 8 di ini hed in recent year (pp ,

B uckle b u r y A village in a large pari sh six m iles

- s o f . s St s north ea t Newbury Swift vi ited Henry John , Vi count

B B 1 1 1 . ( . olingbroke , at ucklebury in 7 p

B u r gh fie ld A village in t h e clay di strict five m iles

- s c fli o f th e south west o f Reading . A curiou wooden g y fourteenth century is preserved in th e church . (p.

h i e l m s o f C e v e y A village four ile north Newbury . Th e is s s ] church partly in the Early Engli h tyle , the chance T h e s is - with good lancet window s. outh doorway round headed m is s t o s arid late Norm an . Cro well aid have lept at the Old th e s o f Blue Boar Inn t h e night before econd battle Newbury . Ch o ls e y A large village with a railway station

7 m s m th e f o r s 4 8 } ile fro Paddington , junction Wallingford , di tant

- T h e m h a s 2 9 m iles to th e north ea st . large crucifor church a T h e s o f t h e fin e Early Engli sh chance] . arche central tower a r e m ss m a r e m s a ive and early Nor an , and there good Nor an door T h e o f and window s in the church . upper part the tower belongs to th e Decorated period . (p.

Cle w e r (61 7 1 ) o n th e river Tham es is practically a suburb o f s m s s m s Wind or , with nu erou orphanage , ho e , and other charitable in stitution s.

15 2 BERKSHIRE

o f t he s m et th e is s o n t he where three Walk , and place al o f h B m boundary o t ree pa ri shes. Wellin g ton College and road oor m Lunatic A sylu a r e close t o th e village .

- C um n o r A village three m iles south west o f Oxford . T h e church is late Norm an and Early Engli sh with som e later

h a - s o r w work . The tower s a round headed we t do ay and good

a r s m s o f Tran sition tower arch . There e carcely any re ain

m . . 1 0 2 1 0 1 1 Cu nor Hall (pp 7 7 , , 4 , 4 ,

Didc o t A h i m portant junction o n t he G reat Western

m s th e is fi Railway 5 3 ile from Paddington . I n church an ef gy o f th e m s s t o b e o f thirteenth century with a itre , uppo ed that the

fir st m T h e s o f t h ss t he itred abbot o f Abingdon . ba e e cro in

is o ld. . 8 8 churchyard (pp ,

D m w m o f o n i t o . t o s n n g n A ha let ile north Newbury , with

s . 8 0 1 0 8 1 1 a ca tle and priory . (pp , ,

B a r le y is becom ing a suburb o f Reading . White

s s o f t h e th o f h a s n o w s knight , a eat 4 Duke Marlborough , vani hed

th e and park is partly built over . E a st h a m p st e a d a village three and a half m ile s s - s o f m it s m to o n e o f t he s outh ea t Wokingha , gave na e Walk ’ s s s s m see 8 is m to in Wind or Fore t . Cae ar Ca p ( page 9) a ile

h a r s B s t h e t e south . There e four window by urne jone in church

E n gle fie ld A village and park five m iles west o f

Reading . (pp . 7 7 ,

F a r in g do n A m arket town with railway station

0 m s m . Th e is m s 7 ile fro Paddington trade ainly in cattle , heep ,

c o m . . 62 6 0 8 8 1 0 6 H bacon , and (pp 3 5 , , 7 , 7 , , 9 s, 9 7 , 9 9 , , 7 ,

2 1 2 1 1 1 0 , 9 , 4 ,

F in c h a m p s t e a d A village three m iles south - west

f m . . 6 o Wokingha (PP 9 , CHIEF TOWNS AND VILLAGES 153

H a b o r n e E a st W e st s g u , and Village near Didcot

iu n c tio n o ld o s - m , both very attractive , with c ttage and half ti bered

s s. a r e tw o V i ss s o f hou e There llage cro e and part a third . I n th e church at Ea st Hagbou rne a r e go o d exam ples o f Tran sition

o m o f th e s s o f Th e N r an and all later tyle architecture . chancel c is s o t h e c s ar h Tran iti n , tower arch and hancel Early Engli h , and t h e tower Perpendicu lar in style . (p .

E a s t H agb o urn e V illage

H m a p s t e a d Ma r s h a ll A V illage three and a half m s so - s f o . is ile uth we t Newbury There a beautiful deer park , th e o s w a s u 1 1 8 h a s n o t h u e in which b rnt in 7 and been rebuilt . (p - 1 3 7 )

H a m st e a d N i p o r r s A village and railway station o n t h e - t h e s T h Didcot Newbury line and in chalk di trict . e church h a s m s th a Nor an doorway and an Early Engli h chancel , and e s s to th e o - o m s . . 2 1 0 tairca e r od l ft re ain (pp , 9 , 15 4 BERKSHIRE

H e n dr e d E a st W e st 1 0 8 i s e , and ( 3 ) are v llage b tween m s - m Wantage and Didcot , both o t attractive, with half ti bered

s o f house and churches o f m ixed style s but with m any points note . Hendred House with an o ld chapel attached is o f con siderable interest . (p.

H un g e r f or d A m arket town o n the o ld Rom an t o B o n the K o f th e road ath river ennet , a part town being in he is s o f s . s w a s t Wilt shire . It a great re ort angler Charle I at

Hurl e y Church an d S it e o f L ady P l ac e

B m 1 6 t he s m m o f ear Inn , Nove ber 44 , and at a e inn Willia

m et th e m m ss s m m s 1 68 8 . . 8 Orange co i ioner fro Ja e II in (pp ,

1 1 2 2 8 0 1 1 1 2 0 3 , 8 , , , 9 , ,

H u r le y A n interesting village o n t h e Tham es with

- o ld s s m s s o f . ( . 1 0 hou e , four ile north we t Maidenhead p

H ur st ( 1 A village three m iles north - west o f Woking h a m . (p.

15 6 BERKSHIRE

Ma r ch a m A village two and a half m iles west o f

m s s t he o Abingdon with any tone quarrie in neighb urhood . (PD.

3 4 ,

M r t im r M im r . o e . See S t r a t fie ld o r t e

N e w b u r y A m unicipal borough and m arket town with a railway station o n t h e Great Western 5 3 m iles m s s t o m fro Paddington , and al o with railway Didcot , Southa pton ,

T h w a s f and Lam bourn . e borough incorpo rated by charter o

Pangbourn e

T h e is . Eli z abeth . chief trade in agricultural produce There m s T h e h a s n ew m a r e m alting s and corn ill . town large unicipal

s s s m m building , a free library , a di trict ho pital , and a large gra ar

- s h a s schoo l a s well a s m any charities . A race cour e recently been m ade a little to t he east o f t he town with a separate railway

s . . 1 2 2 0 6 8 6 8 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 tation (pp 7 , , 5 9 , 7 , 7 , 7 9 , , 9 , , , 5 , 9 ,

1 2 I 2 I I ° 8 1 9 1 3 7 2 4 S ) CHIEF TOWNS AND VILLAGES 15 7

P a n g b o u r n e A village with a railway station

1 7 “ m s m o s t h e o f 4 1 ile fro Paddingt n , ituated at junction the river

t h e m s . . 1 0 2 1 Pang with Tha e (pp , ,

Ra dl e y A village with a railway station 5 8 m iles is m o . s fro Paddingt n Radley College , a large public chool ,

f . 1 s m t o t h e s o . ituated a ile we t the village (pp 3 3 ,

R e a di o m m n g A c unty , unicipal , and parlia entary is m s im th e o f B s . borough , and county town erk hire It a o t portant railway centre 3 6 m iles fro m Paddington and is served by th e South Western and South Ea stern a s well a s by th e Great

s i s. h a s m m We tern ra lway It , in fact , excellent railway co unication

o f W s Th e o f with every part England and ale . charter incorpora tion w a s granted by Henry III . Reading is sit u ated o n t h e river Kennet close t o it s junction

m s a r e m s with th e Tha e . There large unicipal building with a

m s m s free library and an excellent u eu , a county ho pital , a univer sit o m m s o o m s s y c llege , a gra ar ch l , and any other chool and

s s h charitable in titution . T e Berk shire County Hall and the A ssi z e Court s a r e at Reading and a r e close to the o ld gateway Th f ew m o f Reading Abbey . e re ain s o f t h e abbey a r e n o w t h e pro perty o f t h e Corporation and a r e laid o u t a s garden s adjoining th e u Fo r b u r T h e s a r s p blic y garden . railway work e exten ive a r e u s m m and there iron fo ndrie , engine and agricultural i ple ent

s o s - s s work , cycle w rk , electric light work , printing work , a very ‘ s s m f o r m s s s o n e fo r th e large e tabli h ent aking bi cuit , and al o

o s o f s s . a r e s f m s s pr duction and ale eed There al o lour ill , brewerie ,

t 1le o s s m - s brick and w rk , tea launch and boat building yard , and

’ s i s m s f o r m s s s St e tabl h ent aking rope and ack . Mary s church is s to o f m s m s o f t h aid have been built aterial fro the ruin e abbey . T h e wall s a r e largely o f a chequer pattern o f dressed and s s o f s . . 6 1 2 2 6 8 62 6 8 quare free tone (pp , 9 , , 3 , 5 4 , 5 , , 9 , 15 8 BERKS HIRE

S a n dh ur s t A village o n the river Blackwater four and a half m iles south -ea st o f Wokingham with a railway station Th e o n t he South Ea stern and Chatham railway . Royal M ilitary College is t wo m iles south -ea st o f th e village near Blackwater

s . . 1 0 tation (pp 3 ,

S h e fl b r d Gr e a o r W e s S h e fib r d , t t A village

m T he h a s between La bourn and Newbury . church been already

1 m entioned . (p.

S h o t t e s b r o o k Church from t h e Park

S h in fie ld A large village three m iles south 01

Reading .

r m s - s o f S h o tt e sb o o k . A park four ile south we t Maiden

T h e h a s m . . head . beautiful church been already entioned (pp

S h r iv e n h a m A village with a railway station o n t h e s 1 7 ; m s m o f Great We tern 7 1 ile fro Paddington , near the border

s . s it s m t o th e . . 2 1 8 Wilt hire It give na e Hundred (pp 7 , 3 ,

160 BERKS HIRE

s s o f t h 1 1 outh ai le and tower arches e Decorated period . (PP. 0

S t r a t fie ld Mo r t im e r A village and residential di strict with a railway station nam ed Morti m er o n t h e Reading

B s s th e s s t o t h e m o f and a ing toke l ine , neare t tation Ro an town

Silchester i n Ham pshire .

S t r e a t l e y A village o n th e Tham es opposite Goring

s is s is i n Oxford hire , with which it connected by a bridge . Thi a very o ld crossing place and the Ridgeway is directed toward s thi s

. . 1 0 point (PP 9 , 9 ,

S u n m n da le five m s s o f s g ile outh Wind or , with a s o n t he s w a s tation London and South We tern , until recently a

s o f s b u t is di trict heath and pine wood , it being rapidly built s m s s over and good golf link attract any vi itor . (p .

S unnin g h ill A village and residential di strict close

h s to t e . T w o s s above chalybeate pring , Sunninghill Well , were

s s th e . . 1 0 6 1 1 8 a fa hionable re ort in eighteenth century (pp , ,

t w o m f S u n n in gw e ll ( 2 A village iles north o Abingdon . Bi shop jewel w a s vicar and is said t o have built t he singular

o octagonal porch at th e west e n d f th e church .

S utt o n C o ur t n e y A village o n t h e Tham es tw o

m s s o f . T h e t h e m s the ile outh Abingdon abbey , anor hou e , and m m s anor far were building connected with Abingdon Abbey , and a r e o f s m t he t o t he all intere t , dating fro twelfth thirteenth

t he t h e s a r e s century . In church chancel arch and wall Tran ition h m t e is m . 1 Nor an , tower arch Nor an (p.

S w a llo w fie ld A village o n the river Blackwater

T h e h a s - five m iles south o f Reading . church a wooden bell c o t

m B o f 1 with very fin e o ld ti ber work . A ible 1 6 3 is preserved

’ s M s in th e church and M i s itford grave is in t he churchyard .

(p. CHIEF TOWNS AND V ILLAGES 161

Th a t ch a m A large village three m iles ea st o f

Newbury which w a s once a sm all town with a m arket . There

is som e good Norm an work i n t h e church .

Th r e e Mile C r o s s . (p.

2 1 Tidm a r sh . (pp . ,

Tile h u r st A village o n t h e plateau t w o m iles west

o f Reading with a con s iderable brickm aking industry .

Walli ngfo rd B ridge

Tw yfo r d ( 1 A sm all town in Hurst pari sh four m iles

- s o f s o n th e t s north ea t Reading , with a railway tation Grea We tern ,

f r t h . th e o e . 1 junction Henley l ine (pp 7 ,

U ffin g t o n A village i n t h e Vale o f White Hor se about six m iles west o f Wantage with a railway station 66% m iles

f r m o t h e u o th e . fro Paddingt n , j nction Faringdon line There is a large cruciform church m ainly dating from th e Early Engli sh

fli n t n Th e o is . U o s pe riod . central t wer octagonal g Ca tle is a large earthwork o n t h e chalk down s close t o t h e White Horse and

tw o m s s o f th e V . . 8 6 8 8 ile outh illage (pp 5 , 7 , , , M . B 162 BERKS HIRE

U t n p o A village with railway station o n t h e Didcot tw o m and Newbury l ine , and a half iles south o f the form er and o n o f t he the edge chalk di str 1ct . T h e church is a sm all Norm an o f chapel early character . W a llin g fo r d A m unicipal borough and m arket town 5 1 m iles by rail from Paddington and 4 6 m iles by road from

is s London . It ituated o n t h e Tham e s and is built o n a wide area o f T river gravel . h e charter o f it s incorporation dates from t he m o ti e f Henry II . There is a bridge over t h e river built in 1 8 09 o n s o f s T he the ite an older tructure . town hall with an under croft o f 1 67 0 h a s been already m entioned (page There is a c m m s . T h e is orn exchange , free library , and gra ar chool trade in a m O n f gricultural produce and alt . the three sides o t h e town

m t h e a r e m s t he away fro river very ancient earth ra part , and keep - m ound and som e slight rem ain s o f a Norm an ca stle still

s . . 6 6 68 0 1 8 0 8 8 8 1 exi t (pp 5 7 , 5 9 , 5 . 7 , , 7 , 7 . 7 3 , 7 4 , , 5 , , 9 ,

1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 0 6, , 8 , 4 , W a lth a m S t L a w r e n c e A village four and a

m - f s s s o . . 62 half ile outh we t Maidenhead (pp , W th m W h i l a t . See W h i W l h m a e t e a a . , t

W a n t a g e A m arket - town in t he Vale o f White

s . s is two Hor e The railway tation , Wantage Road , nearly and a

m m a r e s b u t s half iles fro the town . There ironwork otherwi e

t h e is m . Th e is trade ainly in agricultural produce church large ,

w a s t he o f cruciform and in m ixed styles . Wantage birthplace

the B t h e o f th e An a lo w a s s Alfred Great , and utler , author g y , al o

. . 0 6 1 1 1 2 2 1 a native (pp 3 , 7 , 9 , , 3 7 ,

W a r fie ld A village in Wind sor Forest with an m to interesting church m ainly in t h e Decorated style . A ile the

- north west is the Steeplecha se course o f Hawthorn Hill . (p .

W a r g r a v e A large village o n the river Tham es

. . 2 0 2 between Reading and Henley (pp , 3 ,

BERKS HIRE

W in dso r O ld tw o m i s s - s o f , A village le outh ea t t w a s t h e s o f E t he h e s . ss Th e ca tle It re idence dward Confe or .

o n e th e s s B m church is a sm all in Early Engli h tyle . eau ont

College is in thi s pari sh .

W in k fie ld A village in Wi nd sor Forest four and a

- Fo li o n is to half m iles south west o f Wind sor . ej Park a l ittle the

o n rth o f th e village . (p .

W itt e n h a m L o v 1lla e o n t h e m s , n g A g Tha e between Abingdon and Wallingford with an interesting church o f

b u t m o f t h m s s e . . 1 ixed tyle ainly Decorated period (PP 9 , W o k in gh a m A m unicipal borough and m arket

s m s m Th e town with a railway tation 3 64 ile fro Waterloo .

o f w a g charter incorporation s granted by O een Eli z abeth . There is s m o f m s o n e o f a town hall and al o a nu ber charitable endow ent ,

w s s s which a founded by Archbi hop Land . The trade i m ainly in

m s s . . 60 1 2 8 agricultural produce , ti ber , brick and tile (PD , ,

W yt h a m A v 1lla g e in t h e m ost northern corner o f

T h e is o f m B k s s to O . er hire , clo e xford church built aterial

w a s m s m m . m which o tly brought fro Cu nor Hall Wytha Abbey ,

o f s is s to th e h a s a building the ixteenth century , clo e church and

1 1 1 a fin e park . (pp . 4 , 3 9 ,

Y a tt e ndo n ( 2 7 4) stand s o n a clayey 1111] five and a half

T h e 1 is m s s o f Pa n b o u r n . 0 ile we t g church , built about 4 5 , a good

o f t a r s m s exam ple h e Perpendicular style . There e o e exten ive t h and ancient underground galleries in e chalk near thi s place . ( pP D‘ IAGRAMS

1 e o f B e s e e s o m e Fig . . Ar a rk hir acr ) c p ar d with th at o f E n glan d and Wal e s

f B e e . 2 u o o s m Fig . Pop l ati n rk h ir co p ared with that o f E n glan d an d W al e s i n 1 9 0 1

Fig . 3 . I ncre a s e o f popul ati o n in B e rks hire fro m 1 8 61 t o 1 9 0 1 166 BERKS HIRE

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

(a ) 5 5 8 (b) 3 1 6 (c) 2 3 4 7

h e m i F i . m v e e s o f o o t o t e s e g . 4 Co p arati D n ity P pul ati n quar l E e s 6 B e s c L c s e in ngl and and Wal , ( ) rk hire , ( ) an a hir

(Ea rl) do t r epr esen ts 1 0 per so n s)

o o e e n o s in Fig . 5 . Pr p rtion at Ar a under Cor Cr p B e rks hire i n 1 9 08

168 BERKS HIRE

F i 8 t o f e m e P s g . . Propor ion P r an nt a ture t o o th e r Are a s in B e rks hire in 1 9 08

F i . e m e s o f L e c in g . 9 Proportion at nu b r iv S to k B e rk s hire in 1 9 08

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