![]() ![]() The nearby Donnington Castle was reduced to a ruin in the aftermath of the second battle. ![]() Newbury was the site of two English Civil War battles: the First Battle of Newbury (at Wash Common) in 1643 and the Second Battle of Newbury (at Speen) in 1644. Alfred the Great's campaign against the Danes included the battles of Englefield, Ashdown and Reading. īerkshire has been the scene of some notable battles throughout its history. The assizes were formerly held at Reading, Abingdon, and Newbury, but by 1911 were held entirely at Reading. Berkshire and Oxfordshire had a common sheriff until the reign of Elizabeth I, and the shire court was held at Grandpont. The abbot also exercised considerable judicial and administrative powers, and his court was endowed with the privileges of the hundred court and was freed from liability to interference by the sheriff. Much of the early history of the county is recorded in the Chronicles of the Abingdon Abbey, which at the time of the survey was second only to the crown in the extent and number of its possessions, such as The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay. This wood, perhaps no longer extant, was west of Frilsham, near Newbury. Main article: History of Berkshire Windsor Castle, viewed from the Long WalkĪccording to Asser's biography of King Alfred, written in 893 AD, Berkshire takes its name from a wood of box trees, which was called Bearroc (a Celtic word meaning "hilly"). Software development and high-tech industry dominate the economy in the east, but the west remains an agricultural region. The east of the county's proximity to London led to development from the nineteenth century, when Slough became an industrial centre and Bracknell was designated a new town. The county has been the site of several battles, particularly during the First English Civil War, when Reading and Wallingford were besieged and Newbury was the site of two battles, in 16. Windsor Castle, which would become the official country residence of the British monarch, was built after the Norman Conquest. In the Anglo-Saxon period the region was contested by Mercia and Wessex, and Alfred the Great was born in Wantage, also now in Oxfordshire. There is evidence of prehistoric settlement on the Berkshire Downs, including the Iron Age Uffington White Horse, now in Oxfordshire. The south-east of the county contains Swinley Forest, a remnant of Windsor Forest now used as a forestry plantation. The Thames then forms Berkshire's northern border, flowing past Maidenhead, before entering the county and flowing past Slough and Windsor. They are the source of the River Kennet, which flows east through Newbury before meeting the Thames at Reading. The Berkshire Downs, a chalk downland and area of outstanding natural beauty, occupy the west of the county. The historic county included the parts of Oxfordshire south of the River Thames, which formed its northern border, but excludes Caversham and Slough. Berkshire contains six unitary authority areas: Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, and Wokingham. The west is rural, and its largest town is Newbury (33,841). The latter is concentrated in the east, the area closest to Greater London, and includes the county's largest towns: Reading (174,224) Slough (164,793), Bracknell (113,205), and Maidenhead (70,374). The county has an area of 1,262 km 2 (487 sq mi) and a population of 911,403. Reading is the largest settlement and the county town. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the northeast, Greater London to the east, Surrey to the southeast, Hampshire to the south, and Wiltshire to the west. The Royal County of Berkshire, more commonly known as simply Berkshire ( / ˈ b ɑː r k ʃ ɪər, - ʃ ər/ i BARK-sheer, -shər abbreviated Berks.), is a ceremonial county in South East England. ![]()
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