An Historical Atlas of Berkshire: new second edition

In December 2012, a new and completely revised edition of the Historical Atlas of

Berkshire was published.

This new 174 page edition is almost half as large again as its 1998

predecessor, with 78 articles on Berkshire’s history (and pre-history)

from the Palæolithic period to the 21st century, each accompanied by

specially-drawn maps in full colour, and with numerous illustrations.

Most of the original articles have been revised and updated, and many new ones

added. The editors, Joan Dils and Margaret Yates, have assembled a formidable band

of specialists to create what is likely to become the standard work on Berkshire’s

history for many years to come. For those looking for an accessible

introduction to the history of the Royal County of Berkshire, this book is

indispensable.

What does the Atlas contain?

The scene is set with a series of six reference maps (including ecclesiastical parishes

in 1831 and 1901, and Berkshire civil parishes in 1887 and the changes, by date, to

1974) and articles on Berkshire’s geology, topography and changing administrative,

archdeaconry and county boundaries.

Major upheavals in the county’s history are covered by articles on the civil war, the

enclosure movement and the ‘Swing’ riots, while essays on bridges and roads, rivers

and canals, and the railways, explore the history of features in the landscape that still

shape the Berkshire of today. Church and chapel, which featured large in the lives of

our ancestors, are covered by a range of articles on Anglican churches medieval and

modern, church monuments, protestant non-conformity from the 16th to the 19th

centuries, Roman Catholicism in Berkshire, and the 1851 religious census. The essay

on religious houses reveals that there were many more such establishments in

Berkshire besides the two great abbeys of Reading and Abingdon, while the one on

Anglican church building in the 19th century shows what a rich legacy of buildings

was left to us by our Victorian forebears. The stories of rich and poor are both

covered, with articles on country houses and workhouses. Berkshire was a popular

place for new country houses in the 18th and 19th centuries, with nearly 100 being

built between 1750 and 1800, while the poor were herded together in the gaunt union

workhouses (the largest accommodating up to 500 paupers) erected after the 1834

Poor Law Amendment Act. The importance of farming in Berkshire’s economy is

revealed in articles on landholding and agriculture, while the contribution that

agriculture made to business and industry in the county becomes clear in articles on

rural crafts and servicing trades, woodland trades and industries, and malting and

brewing. A ground-breaking article on country carriers reveals the complex network

of routes established by these vital providers of transport in the 19th century. But

while Berkshire was predominantly an agricultural county, the history of its towns is

not forgotten, with articles on the market towns, 1750-1901, the development of

Reading, 1800-2010, and (new for this edition) on Bracknell New Town. Other

aspects of its 20th century history are covered in articles on Berkshire during the

Second World War and Berkshire airfields.

Four Sample Maps from An Historical Atlas of Berkshire

The Poor Law Unions and Workhouses of Berkshire

The maps show Berkshire workhouses under the Old and New Poor Law. After the

Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, 12 Poor Law Unions were created in Berkshire,

some of which included parishes in the neighbouring counties of Gloucestershire,

Hampshire, Oxfordshire (particularly), Surrey and Wiltshire.

The railways of Berkshire

The map shows the development of Berkshire's railway network, dominated by the

Great Western Railway route across the county. Lines built by other companies, with

dates of opening, are also shown. The accompanying article covers almost 200 years

of railway history from the first proposal of 1824 to the current Crossrail project.

School and school boards in late Victorian Berkshire

This map gives a fascinating snapshot of education in Berkshire in the decade from

1870 to 1880. At the start of the century, barely one Berkshire child in three had

access to even the poorest quality education. By 1883, nearly 90 per cent of school

age children (under 13) were on school registers with 81 per cent average attendance.

Berkshire during World War II

The whole of Berkshire was designated as a reception area for evacuees but as the

map shows, the county saw some physical damage from air raids and a number of

fatalities. During the war years, the county also became home to many prominent

individuals, including European heads of state, and institutions.

Copyright

Copyright subsists on the maps (rights holder: Berkshire Record Society) and on the

accompanying photographs and other content. All rights are reserved. These sample

maps are provided for personal and non-commercial use only and may not be copied,

adapted, published or otherwise distributed in any medium without prior written

permission of the rightsholders.

Copies of An Historical Atlas of Berkshire are available from:

Berkshire Record Office, 9 Coley Avenue, Reading, Berkshire RG1 6AF

0118 937 5132 <arch@reading.gov.uk> <www.berkshirerecordoffice.org.uk>

and

Berkshire Family History Society Bookshop

Yeomanry House, 131 Castle Hill, Reading, Berkshire RG1 7TJ

0118 950 9553 <bookshop@berksfhs.org.uk> <www.berksfhs.org.uk/shop>

Price £20 plus postage and packing. The Bookshop applies a small charge for

online purchases made by debit or credit card to cover the additional cost involved.

An Historical Atlas of Berkshire, ed Joan Dils and Margaret Yates

Berkshire Record Society, 2012, ISBN 9780 9548716 9 7

Berkshire Record Society Founded in 1993, Berkshire Record Society exists to publish scholarly editions of important Berkshire documents and thereby to encourage research into the county’s history.

Among the seventeen volumes published so far are editions of

the account rolls of Reading’s mediaeval merchant gild, 1357-1516

the minute books of the Thames Navigation Commission, 1771-1790

a selection of poor law papers from parishes in the Kennet valley, 1654-1834

records relating to nonconformist meeting houses, 1689-1852

the 1851 religious census of Berkshire

a survey of enclosure in Berkshire, 1485-1885.

In 2011 we published, in three volumes, an index to Berkshire probate records, 1480-1652, material from which has been incorporated into this CD.

Most volumes contain a full transcript of an original text; some will provide a calendar or abstract of selected documents; some will survey available sources. All come fully annotated, with a scholarly introduction and an index.

Berkshire Record Society is a membership organisation, and members receive a copy of each volume as it appears, enjoying a significant discount over the normal cover price.

Volumes are also for sale to non-members, and are obtainable from the Society, c/o the Berkshire Record Office, 9 Coley Avenue, READING, RG1 6AF, telephone 0118 937 5132.

For details of volumes in print and forthcoming, and for information about membership please see our website, www.berkshirerecordsociety.org.uk.