*READING, (Berkshire) the Shire-T., 32 cm. 40 mm. from London, is bigger than several cities. It is in great measure
encompassed by the Thames, which just by it receives the Kennet, that passes under 7 bridges in the town and
neighbourhood, and abounds with pike, eel, dace, and fine trout. It had anciently a castle, of which the Danes are said to
have been in possession, when they drew a ditch bet. the Kennet and the Thames; and that they retreated hither, after they
had been routed by the Saxon K. Ethelwolf in the neighbourhood; but in 872 they quitted it to the Saxons, who plundered
and destroyed the T. which they repeated in 1006. But it recovered itself, and is said to have been a Bor. in the R. of
William the Conq. Its castle having been a refuge for K. Stephen's party, K. Hen. II. demolished it. There had been a
nunnery near it, that had a park bel. to it, which K. Hen. I. pulled down, and gave the land to a most magnificent abbey
of flint-stone, which he founded near it; wherein Pts. were formerly held, and wherein, it is said, the founder, his Q.
and his daughter, Maud, were interred. It is said to have equalled most of the abbies in England, for its structure and
wealth; and its abbots sate in the house of Lds. It was demolished soon after the Ref. and its last abbot was drawn,
hanged and quartered with 2 of his monks, for refusing to surrender it. The gatehouse of it is pretty entire, and there
are some remains of its thick walls. Here was an almsh. for poor sisters, which in the R. of Hen. VII. was turned into a
fr. sc. and, it is said, here was a mon. of grey-friars. In the civil wars the T. was taken in 10 days by the Pt.-forces,
when K. Cha. I. had his head quarters at Oxford. It is now the most considerable and the largest in the Co. having at
least 8000 inh. and 3 p.-Chs. and 2 large meeting-houses, besides the Quakers. A hos. was founded here and liberally
endowed by Abp. Laud, descended from a family of clothiers in this T. of which trade here were formerly 140; but of late
years the chief mf. is malt, of which vast quantities are sent by the Thames to London, together with meal and timber, and
they bring back coals, salt, tobacco, grocery-wares, oils, &c. Some of their barges carry 1000 or 1200 quarters of malt at
a time. A mf. of sail-cloth was erected here by Sir Owen Buckingham, late Ld.-mayor of London, who had his seat here,
which by his death and his son's also, dropped; but has been revived by major Gower and others in London. A weekly news
paper is printed here, called the Reading Post. The corp. consists of a mayor. 12 ald. and as many burgesses, &c. who with
the commonalty chuse its members of Pt. and gave title of Baron, first to Sir Jacob Astley so created by K. Charles I. and
afterwards to general Cadogan in the R. of K. Geo. I. till he was created E. Cadogan, with the title of Baron of Oakley in
Bucks. It was here that in 1688 began that alarm, called the Irish Cry, which spread through the whole Km. almost in an
instant, that the Irish were burning, plundering, and cutting of throats, where-ever they came; and every T. the report
came to, believed the T. it came from was in flames, and that their turn would be next; so that every place was up in arms
to defend itself. A Co.-Infirmary is erecting here, after the manner of those of Bristol, Bath, Winchester, Northampton,
&c. Its Mt. is S. Fairs Feb. 2, May 1, June 24, July 25, and Septem, 21. On Cotsgrove-Hill just by it, a remarkable bed of
oyster-shells has been discovered, of 5 or 6 acres in extent; of which there is an account in the transactions of the
royal society. The manor of this T. was given by K. Ja. I. after the death of his Q. to his son, Prince Charles; but it is
now said to be vested in its Corp. This was the birth-place of the Ld. Ch. Just. Holt.