Berkshire

Berkshire (officially Royal Berkshire) is a county in the south of England, to the west of London. It no longer exists as an administrative region, as Berkshire County Council has been abolished and its districts became unitary authorities.

The county was originally a transaction of land to King Cenwalh[?] of Wessex. At this time, it only consisted of the northerly and westerly parts of the current county.

In the past the county town (capital) has been in Abingdon (which became part of Oxfordshire when boundaries were changed in 1972) and Reading.

Other notable towns are:

• Windsor, home of Windsor Castle, and which gives its name to the House of Windsor
• Maidenhead
• Bracknell[?]
• Wokingham
• Newbury
• Hungerford[?]
• Faringdon[?]

The following towns were part of the historical county, but became part of Oxfordshire at the same time as did Abingdon:

• Didcot[?]
• Wantage
• Wallingford