Narrative History
of the Royal County of Berkshire
by Brenda Ralph
Lewis & David Nash Ford
B E
R K S H I R E
Introduction to
Berkshire's History
As a
definable area, Berkshire - a county to
the west of London comprising the Thames
and Kennet Valleys and the Berkshire
Downs - began life in the mid-7th century
when a kinsman of Cenwalh, King of
Wessex, received from his Royal relative
a large tract of land roughly
approximating to the north and western
parts of the county. As a local name,
Berkshire first appeared two centuries
later, when the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
recorded events for the troubled year AD
860:
'In [King
Aethelbert's] days came a large [Viking]
naval force up into the country and
stormed Winchester. But Alderman Osric,
with the command of Hampshire and
Ealderman Ethelwulf, with the command of
Berkshire, fought against the enemy and
putting them to flight, made themselves
masters of the field of battle.'
For over a
thousand years, Berkshire has remained
more or less within the boundaries it
possessed in the time of the Saxon kings.
In 1974, the administration of the Vale
of the White Horse, in the North, was
passed to Oxfordshire County Council;
while in 1998, Berkshire lost its central
administration all together but,
geographically and historically, the county lives on. Its
history, its importance in farming, its
involvement in the English Civil War
(1642-1648), its connections with the
monarchy, which led to its title of Royal
county in 1958 - all this and more
remains an indelible part of the story of
England.
Next:
Prehistoric Times
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