Editing Berkshire (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Berkshire}}
[[File:Windsor Castle at Sunset - Nov 2006.jpg|thumb|left|[[Windsor Castle]], viewed from the Long Walk]]
According to [[Asser]]'s biography of [[King Alfred]], written in 893 AD,<ref>{{cite book |last=Cook |first=Albert S. |title=Asser's Life of King Alfred, translated from the text of Stevenson's edition |place=Boston |publisher=Ginn and Company |year=1905 |page=1 |url=https://archive.org/stream/asserslifeofking00asseiala#page/n15/mode/2up/ |access-date=11 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306162218/http://www.archive.org/stream/asserslifeofking00asseiala#page/n15/mode/2up/ |archive-date=6 March 2016 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Berkshire takes its name from a wood of [[box tree]]s, which was called ''Bearroc'' (a [[Celtic language|Celtic]] word meaning "hilly").<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/Berkshire |title=Berkshire |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |access-date=4 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505205403/https://www.etymonline.com/word/Berkshire |archive-date=5 May 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> This wood, perhaps no longer extant, was west of [[Frilsham]], near [[Newbury, Berkshire|Newbury]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Stenton |first=Frank M. |author-link=Frank Stenton |title=The Place-Names of Berkshire: An Essay |series=Studies in Local History |publisher=Reading University College |page=3 |year=1911 |url=https://archive.org/stream/placenamesofberk00sten#page/2/mode/2up/search/Berroc |access-date=11 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203055135/http://www.archive.org/stream/placenamesofberk00sten#page/2/mode/2up/search/Berroc |archive-date=3 February 2009 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Much of the county's early history 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]]. The abbot exercised considerable judicial and administrative powers, and his court was endowed with the privileges of the hundred court and freed from liability to interference by the sheriff. Berkshire and Oxfordshire had a common sheriff until the reign of [[Elizabeth I]], and the shire court was held at [[Grandpont]]. The assizes were formerly held at Reading, Abingdon, and Newbury, but by 1911 were held entirely at Reading.{{Sfn|Chisholm|1911|pp=783–784}}

Berkshire has been the scene of notable battles. [[Alfred the Great]]'s campaign against the [[Danes (Germanic tribe)|Danes]] included the battles of [[Battle of Englefield|Englefield]], [[Battle of Ashdown|Ashdown]] and [[Battle of Reading (871)|Reading]]. [[Newbury, Berkshire|Newbury]] was the site of [[English Civil War]] battles: the [[First Battle of Newbury]], at [[Wash Common]] in 1643, and the [[Second Battle of Newbury]], at [[Speen, Berkshire|Speen]] in 1644. [[Donnington Castle]] was reduced to a ruin in the aftermath of the second battle. Another [[Battle of Reading (1688)|Battle of Reading]] took place on 9 December 1688. It was the only substantial military action in England during the [[Glorious Revolution]] and ended in a decisive victory for forces loyal to [[William III of England|William of Orange]].<ref>{{citation |last=Daniell |first=Christopher |year=2014 |title=Atlas of Early Modern Britain, 1485–1715}}</ref>

[[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] became the new county town in 1867, taking over from [[Abingdon, Berkshire|Abingdon]], which remained in the county. Under the [[Local Government Act 1888]], Berkshire County Council took over functions of the Berkshire [[Quarter Sessions]], covering the administrative county of Berkshire, which excluded the [[county borough]] of [[Borough of Reading|Reading]]. Boundary alterations in the late 19th century and early 20th century were relatively rare, but included ceding the parts of the borough of [[Oxford]] south of the Thames in 1889, and gaining Caversham from [[Oxfordshire]] in 1911. The administrative county's full legal name was "Berks" rather than "Berkshire" until 1967, when the government changed the name to Berkshire at the county council's request.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=44343|page=6668|date=15 June 1967}}</ref>

Berkshire received the title "Royal County" in 1957 due to the presence of Windsor Castle. The area has historical ties to royalty dating back to the Norman Conquest, when William the Conqueror established Windsor as a royal residence.<ref>"Berkshire County History." Berkshire History Society, 2020.</ref> On 1 April 1974, Berkshire's boundaries changed under the [[Local Government Act 1972]]. Berkshire took over administration of [[Slough]] and [[Eton, Berkshire|Eton]] and part of the former [[Eton Rural District]] from Buckinghamshire.<ref name="guide">{{cite book |title=Local government in England and Wales: A Guide to the New System |publisher=[[HMSO]] |year=1974 |isbn=0-11-750847-0 |location=London |pages=1, 31}}</ref> The northern part of the county came under governance of [[Oxfordshire]], with [[Faringdon]], [[Wantage]] and [[Abingdon, Berkshire|Abingdon]] and their hinterland becoming the [[Vale of White Horse]] district, and [[Didcot]] and [[Wallingford, Oxfordshire|Wallingford]] added to [[South Oxfordshire]] district.<ref name=guide/> [[Berkshire Yeomanry|94 (Berkshire Yeomanry) Signal Squadron]] still keep the [[Uffington White Horse]] in their insignia, even though the White Horse is now within the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire. The original Local Government White Paper would have transferred [[Henley-on-Thames]] from Oxfordshire to Berkshire: this proposal did not make it into the Bill as introduced.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}

On 1 April 1998 Berkshire County Council was abolished under a recommendation of the [[Local Government Commission for England (1992)|Banham Commission]], and the districts became [[unitary authority|unitary authorities]]. Unlike similar reforms elsewhere at the same time, the non-metropolitan county was not abolished.{{efn|This was done to maintain [[List of place names with royal styles in the United Kingdom|royal county]] status.}}<ref name=1996order>{{cite web |url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si1996/Uksi_19961879_en_2.htm |title=The Berkshire (Structural Change) Order 1996 |date=18 July 1996 |publisher=[[Office of Public Sector Information]] |access-date=20 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091209084421/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1996/Uksi_19961879_en_2.htm |archive-date=9 December 2009 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199495/cmhansrd/1995-03-31/Writtens-2.html |title=Written Answers to Questions Col.830 |date=31 March 1995 |work=House of Commons Hansard Debates |publisher=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] |access-date=20 April 2010 |quote=In Berkshire, although the county council will be abolished, the county area will remain. Along with its lord lieutenant, it will retain its high sheriff and its title as a royal county. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100425104706/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199495/cmhansrd/1995-03-31/Writtens-2.html |archive-date=25 April 2010 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Signs saying "Welcome to the Royal County of Berkshire" exist on borders of West Berkshire, on the east side of [[Virginia Water]], on the [[M4 motorway]], on the south side of [[Sonning Bridge]], on the A404 southbound by Marlow, and northbound on the A33 past [[Stratfield Saye]].

[[File:Flag of Berkshire.svg|thumb|Flag of the historic county of Berkshire]]

A [[Flag of Berkshire|flag for the historic county of Berkshire]] was registered with the [[Flag Institute]] in 2017.