The settlement was founded at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet in the eighth century as Readingum. The name is probably from the Anglo-Saxon for "(Place of) Readda's People", or (less probably) the Celtic Rhydd-Inge, "Ford over the River". It was occupied by the Vikings in 871 but had recovered sufficiently by its 1086 Domesday Book listing to contain around 600 people and be made a designated borough. The town saw much pilgrimage in mediaeval times to Reading Abbey see below. In 1253 Reading's Merchant Guild succcessfuly petioned for the grant of a charter from the King and negotiated a division of authority with the Abbey. The dissolution of the Abbey saw Henry VIII grant the Gild a new charter in 1542 with which to become a borough corporation to run the town.

By the end of the sixteenth century Reading was the largest town in Berkshire, home to over 3,000 people. During the medieval period and Tudor times Reading grew rich on its trade in cloth, as instanced by the fortune made by local merchant John Kendrick. The town played an important role during the English Civil War; it changed hands a number of times, and despite its fortifications the longest siege was only ten days in April 1643. However the taxes levyed on the town badly damaged its cloth trade, and it did not recover. Reading was also the only site of significant fighting in England during the Glorious Revolution of 1688 with The Reading Fight.

The 18th century saw the begining of a major iron works in the town and the growth of the brewing trade for which Reading was to become famous. Agricultural products from the surrounding area still used Reading as a market place, especially at the famous Reading cheese fair but now trade was coming in from a wider area. Reading's trade benefited from better designed turnpike roads which helped its establish its location on the major coaching routes from London to Oxford and the west country. It also gained from increasing river traffic on both the Thames and Kennet. In 1723 despite considerable local opposition the Kennet Navigation opened the River to boats as far as Newbury. This opposition stopped when it became apparent the new route benefited the town. The opening of the Kennet and Avon Canal in 1810 meant you could go by barge from Reading to the Bristol Channel.

In 1801, the population of Reading was about 9,400. During the 19th century Reading grew rapidly as a manufacturing centre. From 1832 the town returned two Members of Parliament. A reformed town council was introduced in 1839. The railway arrived in 1841, with a second system connecting in 1849. In 1851 the population was 21,500. The town was given county borough status in 1887. By 1900 the population was 59,000 - large sections of the housing in Reading are terraced, reflecting its nineteenth century growth. The town has been famous for the "Three Bs" of beer (from 1785, India Pale Ale was invented in Reading), bulbs (1807-1976, Suttons Seeds), and biscuits (1822-1977, Huntley & Palmers). In the nineteenth century the town also made 'Reading Sauce'.

This page was last updated: 16 September 2005

Town history extracts are taken from Wikipedia and are licensed under GFDL