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foveicignt)-, and its monavch, E^jbert, gave the whole counti^ 

 the name of England. Alfred, granjfon to Egbert, and a 

 native of Wantage in this county, proceeding on tlie plan 

 of his grandfather, more firmly cemented the kin<;doms 

 which Egbert had united, divided the whole into hundreds, 

 tithing?, paiiihcs, S:.c. and gave this diviiion the name of 

 Berrocihire, vi-hich was afterwards contracted and fo£te:i«d 

 into Berklhire. 



This county is bounded by the fliires of Oxford and Buck- 

 ingham on the north, having the river Thames running the 

 whole courfe ; on the eaft by Surry ; on the fouth by 

 Hair.prtiirc, and on the weft by Wiltfhirc. In the elHma- 

 tion of itsfize authors are at variance, but the moft accurate 

 ftatement gives its length from E. to N. W. at 48 miles, 

 and its breadth, in the widcft part, at 25 milts ; though a 

 narrow part near the centre is little more than 6 miles acmfs. 

 It contains about 530,000 acres of land, and is locally divid- 

 ed into twenty hundreds, containing 12 market tov^ns, 140 

 parilhes, 62 vicarages, about 670 villages and hamlets, 

 21,195 houfes, and 109,515 inhabitants. A range of chalk 

 hills entering this county from Oxfordfliire, crofTes it in a 

 wefterly direftion, and forms the fouthern boundary of the 

 vale of White Horfe. Independent of this range of hills, 

 the county is characlerized by gentle eminences and valleys; 

 having much rich fertile land, and abounding with pidtu- 

 refque and beautiful fcenery. Though almoll every kind of 

 grain is cultivated in the county, yet that of barley is raifed 

 in greater quantities than either of the other fpecies, and 

 when made into malt, is chiefly fent to London. Many 

 large dairy farms are found in the White Horfe vale. 

 Berkfhire is well ftocked with timber, particularly oak and 

 beech in the wellern part, and alfo with numerous decidu- 

 ous and exotic trees in Windfor foreil and park, and in the 

 various ornamental plantations fcattered through the county. 

 The open commons and uncultivated fields of Berkfhire are 

 fuppolcd to conftilute nearly half the county. Of thelej 

 Windfor-foreft, Maidenhead-thicket, Tylehurft heath, Wick- 

 ham-heath, and the numerous commons and raarfhes, that are 

 found in almoll e\ery pariih, contain above 40,000 acrts. 

 The county derives but little advantage from manufactures, 

 there being only a few clothiers eftabhfhed in the weftern 

 part of it, and fome pin-makers, &c. at Reading. On the 

 banks of the river Kennet, in the vicinity of Newbur\-, are 

 fome large beds of peat, which fumithes the poor with fuel, 

 and the farmer with afhes to n^.tliorate his land. 



The principal nvers of Berklhire are the Thames, the 

 Kennet, the Lamborn, the Ock, and the Lodden. The 

 rirll, though it ferves to irrigate arid fcrtihze a great part of 

 this county, does not llnftly belong to it, being the natural 

 boundary line between this and the counties of Oxford and 

 Buckingham. It enters Berkfhire almoft one mile fouth of 

 Lechladf, and in its progrefs ea'lviard waters the feveral 

 towns of Abingdon, Wallingford, Henley, Maidenhead, 

 Windfor, &t. and liaving received the tributary waters of 

 various ftreams, leaves the county near Runnymead. 



The Kennet enters the county on its weilem fide at 

 Hungerford, and paiTes through a narrow boggy valley to 

 Newbury. Flowing eaftward, in nearly a diredt line, it runs 

 through the county town of Reading, and foon afterwards 

 unites with the Thames. 



The Lamborn, a tributary flream to the foimer river, 

 riles near a town of its own name, and after a courfe of about 

 II miles, fall' into the Kennet at Newbur>'. This nver has 

 been defcribed as a phenomenon, by many topographical 

 writers, fome of whom have affertcd that its current is more 

 powerful and copious in funimer than in winter. To ac- 

 count for this fingular occurrence, they have had recourfe 

 to various hypoihefes, but had they viuted the place, and 



B E R 



there made inqniries, they would have found, that the river 

 has no remarkable characterillic different to others, wLofe 

 courfe is through a fiiort tradt of flat country. 



The Ock rifts in the vale of White Horfe, near Kuigfton- 

 Lifle, and flowing eulhvard, receives feveral other llreams 

 before it reaches the town of Abingdon, near which it unites 

 with the Thames. 



The Lodden enters the fouthern fide of the county cear 

 Swallowhcld, and running directly north, forms the wettera 

 boundary to Windfor forell, and falls into the Thames near 

 Wargrave. 



Berkfhire is in the diocefe of Salifhury, and included ia 

 the Oxford circuit. It fends nine members to parliament: 

 two of whom are returned tor the county, and two for each 

 of the towns of Reading, WaUingford, and New Windfor. 

 The other member is eledled for the borough of Abingdor;, 

 The Lent aflizes, and the Epiphany county feflions, are con- 

 ftantiy held at Reading ; the Eafter feflions at Newbur}- -, 

 the Summer affizes at Abingdon ; and the Michaelmas lei- 

 fions alternately at the latter town, and at Reading. 



Among the objefts of antiquity in thiscounty, is the cele- 

 brated White Horfe ; which the moil learned antiquaries 

 refer to Saxon origin ; and Mr. Wife, who has pubUihed 

 two quarto pamphltts on the fubjecl, endeavours to prove 

 that it was defigned by Alfred, to commemorate a victory- 

 obtained by the Saxons over the Danes. It was formed on 

 the fide of a chalk hill, by the fimple procefs of cutting off 

 all the green turf within a certain hne, which refembled the 

 (hape of a horfe. This trophy is now nearly obliterated by 

 the grafs growing on its furface. Near the White Horle i^ 

 a very large encampment, called Uffingdon-caftle, and about 

 one mile wellward of the latter is a Druidical monument, 

 named Wayland-Smith. It is a large cromlech on a barrow, 

 with fjveral fmaller ilones, which were formerly placed in a 

 circle round it. Another Druidical rehc is to be found at 

 Park-place in this county. This was brought from the ifle 

 of Jerfey, and all its ilones were placed here in the exadt 

 poiition, and relative fituation in which they were originally 

 found. See Henley. 



Befides feveral ancient encampments of different fizes and 

 fliapes, this county had two Roman ftations, which are 

 named in Antoninus's Itinerary "Spinis," and "Calleva," and 

 are found in the thirteenth Iter of that work. In the feventh 

 Iter is another llation, named Pontibus, or Pontis, which anti- 

 quaries agree in tixing near the eaftern border of the county. 

 The Roman Wathng-llreet pifled acrofs the northern corner 

 of Berkfhire, entering it near Walhngfoid, and leavin j it on 

 the north-weftern lide. Reading is the county town of Berk- 

 fhire, and the callle of Windfor its greateil or nament. Cam- 

 den's Britannia. Coates's Hiltory of Reading. Horlley's 

 Britannia Romana. Beauties of England and Wales. 



BERKUSSA, a town of Croatia, on the river Kulpa, 

 1 1 miles v.-efl of Petreuta. 



BERLAI, a town of Croatia, on the river Korana, 8 

 miles fouth of Sluin. 



BERLAMONT, a town of France, in the department 

 of the North, and chief place of a canton, in the diftric^ of 

 le Quefnoy, 2I leagues E.S.E. of le Qviefnoy. It contains 

 1579 inhabitants, and thofe of the canton amount to 5,794. 

 Thi teri'itory includes 150 kiliomctres, and 14 communes. 



BERLASREUT, a town of Germany, in the circle of 

 Bavaria, 12 miles N. of PafTau. 



BERLEBURG, a town of Germany, in the circle of 

 the Upper Rhine, 56 miles E. of Cologn. 



BERLEUX, a town of France, in the department ot 

 the Somme, and chief place of a canton, in the dillrict of 

 Pcronne, 3 miles S. W. of Peronne. 



BERLIN, a city of Germany, in the circle of Upper 



Saxony, 



