Reading

READING, a borough and market-town, having separate jurisdiction, locally in the hundred of Reading, county of Berks, 26 miles (S. E. by S.) from Abingdon, and 39 (W. by S.) from London, on the road to Bristol; containing 18,944 inhabitants. This place is unquestionably of great antiquity, but whether it owes its foundation to the Romans or to the Saxons is a matter involved in great doubt. Its name rather tends to strengthen the supposition that its origin is to be attributed to the latter people, the term Reading being most probably derived from the Saxon words Rhea, "a river" or "an overflowing," and Ing, "a meadow." It is noticed in 871, by Asser, the biographer of Alfred, as a fortified town which was seized by the Danes, and to which, after their defeat at Englefield by Earl Ethelwolf, they retired and were pursued by that Saxon nobleman, who was killed in attempting to take the town. During the reign of Alfred, and occasionally in the time of his successors, the Danes appear to have again held possession of the place; and on the invasion of Sweyn, King of Denmark, to avenge the massacre of his countrymen in the reign of Ethelred, it was burnt to the ground in 1006, together with the nunnery founded here by Elfrida in expiation of the murder of her step-son, Edward the Martyr. From this calamity, however, it seems to have recovered prior to the Conquest, for in the great Norman survey Reading is noticed as forming part of the royal demesne.

In 1121, Henry I. founded a magnificent monastery for monks of the Benedictine order, which he endowed with an ample revenue, and dedicated to the Holy Trinity, the Virgin Mary, and St. John the Evangelist; he invested it with the dignity of a mitred abbey, and bestowed on the abbots the privilege of coining money, that of conferring the honour of knighthood, and many other immunities. Henry was a frequent visiter here, and was interred in the abbey church, as was also his consort Adeliza. Stephen, who succeeded him, erected a strong castle at Reading, which after having been one of his garrisons during the contest with Matilda, was in 1153 given up to her son Henry, who, on ascending the throne, ordered this and several other fortresses that had been erected in the preceding reign, to be demolished. This monarch, in 1163, presided at a judicial combat which took place here, on an island to the east of Caversham Bridge, between Henry de Essex, the royal standard-bearer, and Robert de Montfort, who had accused his antagonist of treasonable cowardice in a battle with the Welsh, near Chester; Essex was vanquished, and his estates were forfeited to the crown, but his life being spared, he became a monk in the abbey. Henry II. visited the town on several other occasions, and in 1185 had an interview here with Herodius, patriarch of Jerusalem, who presented to him the keys of the holy sepulchre, and the royal banner of Jerusalem, and endeavoured, but without success, to induce him to undertake an expedition to recover Palestine from the Saracens.

In 1209, the professors and students of Oxford, disgusted with the severity with which they had been treated by the king's officer, in a dispute with the townspeople, retired to Reading, where they continued to prosecute their studies, till, on expiation being made, they returned to their ancient seat. In 1212, a council was held by the legate of the pope, for the purpose of effecting a reconciliation between King John and the bishops, whom he had driven into exile; and various other councils, civil and ecclesiastical, took place here in this and the following reign. Edward III. held a grand tournament at Reading in 1346; and in 1359, his son, John of Gaunt, was married in the abbey church, to Blanche, daughter and co-heiress of Henry Plantagenet, Duke of Lancaster. In 1389, a reconciliation was effected between Richard II. and his barons, through the mediation of John of Gaunt, who assembled here a great council with that object. In 1440 and 1451, parliaments were held in the town; and in 1452 and 1466, the grand parliament adjourned to the place from Westminster, on account of the plague. Henry VIII. often visited Reading, and in 1541 took up his residence for some time at the abbey. Edward VI., and the queens Mary and Elizabeth, were also frequent visiters, and the last-mentioned had a canopied pew appropriated to her use in the parochial church of St. Lawrence. In the beginning of the reign of Charles I., the courts of chancery, king's bench, and common pleas, with the court of exchequer, and the courts of wards and liveries, were held at Reading, in Michaelmas term, 1625, and again in 1635, in consequence of the plague which was then raging in the metropolis; and a commission under the great seal, for putting in force the laws against the popish recusants, was read in the courts here.

At the commencement of the civil war, the town was garrisoned for the parliament, but it was abandoned by the governor on the approach of the royal forces in 1642; after which it was held by the king's troops, till taken by the Earl of Essex, in the following year, after a siege of eight days. After the battle of Newbury, Essex marched to Reading, where he remained for two days; and on his departure it was again garrisoned for the king, who, on a visit in 1644, ordered the military works which had been erected to be demolished: there are still, however, many extensive remains of the outworks in the Forbury. The inhabitants suffered severely from the contributions levied by both parties. In 1688, some Irish and Scottish troops belonging to the army of James II. were posted at Reading, from which they fled on the approach of the Dutch troops under the Prince of Orange; but returning soon after, a skirmish took place in the town, in which the only officer in the prince's army who lost his life in the expedition, was killed. The anniversary of the battle, which was called "Reading Fight," was annually commemorated till about the year 1788, when the ceremony was discontinued.

The town is situated on the bank of the Thames, which separates it from Oxfordshire; and the river Kennet passes through it, and falls, about a quarter of a mile below, into the former river. The houses are in general well built, chiefly of brick, but the more modern generally of Bath stone; the streets are mostly wide, airy, and pleasant, are well paved, lighted with gas, and amply supplied with water. Within the last fifteen years, the town has been considerably extended westward on the road to Oxford, and also towards the east, and houses are still rapidly springing up. The surrounding country, thickly wooded and highly cultivated, is delightful from its rich and beautiful scenery, and its numerous seats. South-east of the town is Whiteknights, with its celebrated gardens, so long the favourite residence of the Duke of Marlborough. This picturesque domain, including the Botanic and American gardens, and the wilderness, and comprising altogether more than 284 acres, was sold in numerous lots by auction, in July 1846: villa residences will be erected on parts of the site. Early Court was the retreat of the late Lord Stowell, and Caversham Park the family seat of the earls of Cadogan; Englefield House is the princely residence of Richard Benyon de Beauvoir, Esq. The Literary Institution, comprising a library, readingrooms, and a residence for the librarian, is supported by a proprietary of £30 shareholders; the Philosophical Institution was established in 1831. There is a newsroom in High-street; and commodious baths have been formed in London-street. The theatre is a small building, opened for five or six weeks in the year, by a very respectable company.

From its situation near the confluence of two rivers, Reading at an early period became a place of commercial importance. The manufacture of woollen-cloth was introduced in the reign of Edward I.; and in the legendary history of the town, Thomas Cole, called Thomas of Reading, a rich clothier, is said to have obtained from the crown the standard measure for cloth, the yard being fixed to the precise length of the king's arm. John Kendrick, another eminent clothier in the town, in 1624 bequeathed £7500 in trust to the mayor and burgesses, part of it for building a house for the employment of the poor, which was soon afterwards carried into effect at an expense of £2000. The edifice forms a quadrangle, with a handsome gateway entrance; it was once a great ornament to the town, and from some unknown cause obtained the appellation of the "Oracle." In this establishment the woollen manufacture was conducted for a considerable period, with success; but during the parliamentary war the building was converted into a depôt for military stores. Afterwards, various other branches were carried on at the Oracle, among which were pin-making; the weaving of sheeting, sailcloth, and sacking; and the manufacture of floor-cloth. The weaving of coarse linen is at present pursued to a small extent; and there are manufactories for silk-ribbons and galloons, which afford employment to from 200 to 300 persons, and for floor-cloth and sailcloth; also some iron-foundries, and several yards for building boats.

The trade of the town, however, is principally in flour, of which 20,000 sacks are annually sent to London; in wheat, oats, beans, peas, and various kinds of seeds; in malt, the business in which has been for some time declining; and in oak-bark, timber, hoops, wool, cheese, beer, &c. The river Thames is navigable for barges of 150 tons' burthen, but none of that size are now used; the Kennet is navigable for barges of 110 tons, and on its banks are wharfs for landing goods. These rivers with the Kennet and Avon canal, which runs from Newbury, and the Wilts and Berks canal, commencing at Abingdon, open a navigable communication with the principal parts of the kingdom. In 1800, a canal was designed by Mr. Rennie, in consequence of the difficult navigation of the Kennet, in part of its course, to the west of the town; but it has not been so far completed as to afford all the advantages anticipated. The Great Western railway, which passes between the town and the river Thames, has a station here; and to the east is one of its chief earthworks, a considerable cutting at Sonning Hill. A railway, called the Berks and Hants line, runs southward for a mile and a half, and then branches off in two different directions; the one portion, 24 miles long, leading to Newbury and Hungerford, and the other, 13½ miles long, leading to the Basingstoke station of the London and Southampton railway. In 1846 an act was passed for a railway to Guildford and Reigate. The market-days are Wednesday and Saturday, the former for fruit, vegetables, butter, and poultry, and the latter, which is very numerously attended, for corn and provisions. The corn-market is held in the market-place, a convenient area, of which three sides are occupied by shops, and the fourth by the church of St. Lawrence; the market for provisions is in a quadrangular building, with a portico, including shambles, shops, and stalls. There is also, on Saturday, a market for cattle and store-pigs; and a market is held every Monday for fat-cattle, at Loddon bridge, about four miles distant, on the road to Wokingham. The fairs are on Feb. 2nd, May 1st, July 25th, and Sept. 21st: the three first are principally for horses and cows, and the last for cattle and cheese, of which latter from 500 to 700 tons are annually brought for sale.

Reading is a borough by prescription. It received charters, and grants of valuable immunities, from various sovereigns; from Henry III. in 1253, Edward III. in 1345, Henry VII. in the 2nd year of his reign, Henry VIII. in the 34th, and Charles I. in the 14th of his reign. This last was the governing charter till 1836. By the provisions of the Municipal act, passed in that year, the corporation now consists of a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen councillors; the borough is divided into three wards, and the number of magistrates is eleven. The council, under the powers of the act, petitioned the crown for a continuance of the court of quarter-sessions, which was granted, and the recorder is sole judge. The borough has returned two members to parliament from the 23rd of Edward I. to the present time; the mayor is returning officer. The inhabitants are exempt from the payment of county rates. The old town-hall was taken down in 1786, and a commodious building was erected over part of the free grammar school; the great hall is a handsome room, 108 feet long, 32 wide, and 24 high, and adjoining it is the council chamber, decorated with several portraits, including an original of Queen Elizabeth by Zucchero, and others of Archbishop Laud, Sir Thomas White, the Kendricks, Sir Thomas Rich, &c. The petty-sessions for the Reading division of the county are held in the town every Saturday; the spring assizes and the Epiphany sessions for the county take place here, and the Michaelmas sessions alternately here and at Abingdon. The powers of the county debt-court of Reading, established in 1847, extend over the registration-districts of Reading, Wokingham, and Bradfield, and part of the district of Henley. The borough bridewell is built among the remains of the chapel of the Franciscans or Grey friars, who were established here in 1233; and a very beautiful window of the chapel is still remaining in good preservation. A new county prison, on the plan of the model prison at Pentonville, London, was completed in 1844, at a cost of £33,000.

The town comprises the parishes of St. Mary, containing, with the tything of Southcot, without the borough, 8431 inhabitants; St. Lawrence, 4285; and St. Giles, including the hamlet of Whitley, also without the borough, 6805 inhabitants. The living of St. Mary's is a vicarage, endowed with the rectorial tithes by Queen Elizabeth in 1573, valued in the king's books at £11. 12. 3½., and in the patronage of the Crown: the tithes have been commuted for £700, and the glebe comprises one acre. The present church, which is a plain massive structure in the later English style, with a square tessellated tower of stone and flint, was for the most part built about the year 1550, with materials supplied by the conventual remains; the spire of the previous church remained till 1594, when it was blown down by a violent storm of wind, and the present tower was erected. The living of St. Lawrence's is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £10; net income, £276; patrons, the President and Fellows of St. John's College, Oxford. The church was rebuilt upon the same site, about the year 1434; the tower is a well-proportioned structure of flint: among the monuments is one with a bust of John Blagrave, an eminent mathematician, who died in 1611, and another in memory of the Rev. Dr. Valpy, for fifty years head master of the grammar school. The living of St. Giles' is a vicarage, endowed with the rectorial tithes, valued in the king's books at £14. 17. 3½., and in the patronage of the Crown: the tithes have been commuted for £512. During the siege of the town by the parliamentary forces in 1643, the church was much damaged. It was subsequently repaired and improved, although the present spire, which is of Riga fir covered with copper, was not erected until 1790; in 1827 the edifice was considerably enlarged, and an elegant window was opened over the altar. The parish of St. Lawrence formerly contained a chapel, founded and endowed in 1204, by Lawrence Burgess, bailiff of Reading, by permission of Abbot Halias, and dedicated to St. Edmund. In 1826, the Rev. George Hulme, at an expense of nearly £6000, erected a chapel in the parish of St. Mary, on the road to Oxford, capable of containing nearly 1200 persons. St. John's chapel, in St. Giles' parish, built by the Rev. Francis Trench at an expense of about £3000, was consecrated April 28th, 1837, and was endowed with £50 per annum by William Stephens, Esq. In Castle-street is a chapel, erected in 1798: it was originally in the Connexion of the Countess of Huntingdon; but in 1837 the majority of the congregation appointed a clergyman of the Church of England to be minister. There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents, Wesleyans, the Society of Friends, and Roman Catholics.

The Grammar School, which attained great celebrity under the late Dr. Valpy, was founded by Henry VII. about the year 1486, after the suppression of the old house of St. John, some of the buildings of which were appropriated to the use of the school, with a stipend of £10 per annum for the master, payable out of the crown rents in the town. Archbishop Laud, in 1640, gave £20 a year to the master, charged upon a farm, and this gift, from the increased value of the property, now amounts to about £40. There are two scholarships to St. John's College, Oxford, on the foundation of Sir Thomas White. The Blue-coat school was founded by Richard Aldworth, who in 1646 bequeathed £4000 to the corporation, in trust, for maintaining a schoolmaster, lecturer, and twenty boys; in 1666, Sir Thomas Rich, Bart., gave £1000 for six additional boys. In 1720, Mr. John West gave £1000, and some annual feefarm rents, for educating and apprenticing six boys. In 1723, Mr. Malthus left an annuity of £91 for the education of ten Green-coat boys; and in the same year, Mr. John Pottinger gave a sum of £15 per annum for the maintenance of two more.

The almshouses in St. Mary's Butts were founded and endowed in 1476, by John Kendrick, for eight aged persons, and were rebuilt by the corporation in 1775. Some houses in St. Giles' parish were established in 1617, by Barnard Harrison, and rebuilt by the corporation in 1796. In 1634 a house was founded by William Kendrick, for four aged men and one woman of the parishes of St. Lawrence and St. Giles. Certain houses erected in the same year by Sir Thomas Vachell, for six aged unmarried men, have a revenue of £40 per annum: a house for four aged widows of the parish of St. Lawrence was built in 1653, by John Webb, who endowed it with premises now let for £30 per annum; and some houses founded by John Hall in 1696, for five aged and unmarried women, have a rent-charge of £25. In 1624, Griffith Jenkins gave five houses for persons of the parishes of St. Lawrence and St. Mary. Thomas Cooks, Esq., by his will in 1810, bequeathed £1400 three per cent. consols. in augmentation of the allowance to John Kendrick's almspeople, £875 for William Kendrick's, £1050 for Vachell's, £875 for Hall's, £1400 for Harrison's, and £700 for Webb's; and Robert Hansons, Esq., in 1816 bequeathed a sum which was invested in £3112. 16. 9. three per cents., for the augmentation of the allowance to Harrison's and William Kendrick's almspeople. Archbishop Laud bequeathed £100 per annum, to be appropriated for two successive years to the apprenticing of ten boys, and every third year to be divided in marriage portions among five maidens, natives of Reading; and there are various bequests for other charitable uses. An hospital was lately erected by subscription, on ground presented by the late Viscount Sidmouth, at the entrance to the town from London, at a cost of about £12,000; it is designated the Royal Berkshire Hospital, and is a commodious building in the Grecian-Ionic style, with a light and elegant portico of six columns. The poor-law union consists of three parishes, and contains, with the out-hamlets, a population of 19,528.

Of the castle erected by Henry I. there is not the slightest vestige, and the only memorial is preserved in the name of Castle-street, near which it is supposed to have stood. Of the magnificent abbey, erected by the same king, and which, with the out-buildings, extended nearly half a mile in circuit, there remain the abbey gate, a fine specimen of the early Norman style, in tolerable preservation, and some vestiges in the abbey-mill: the walls were eight feet in thickness. A few years since, the site of the abbey was sold, and a great portion of the remaining walls demolished; but a small share, including part of the walls of the church, and the great hall, was purchased by subscription among the inhabitants, in order to preserve some at least of the ruins from destruction. A considerable portion of the materials of the church was, as before stated, used in erecting the parochial church of St. Mary; and a vast quantity has been employed in walls and buildings in various parts of the town. An hospital dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, for twelve leprous persons and a chaplain, was founded in 1134, by Aucherius, second abbot of Reading; and in 1190, Hugh, the eighth abbot, established an hospital for 26 poor brethren, and for the entertainment of pilgrims and travellers, towards the maintenance of which he appropriated the church of St. Lawrence. Among the eminent natives of the town were, William of Reading, Archbishop of Bordeaux in the reign of Henry III.; and Archbishop Laud, who was born in 1573, his father being a clothier in Broad-street.

Transcribed from A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858.