The first evidence for Reading as a settlement dates from the 8th century. In late 870 an army of Danes set up camp at Reading. On 4 January 871, the first Battle of Reading took place, when an army led by King Ethelred and his brother Alfred the Great attempted unsuccessfully to breach the Danes’ defences.

Reading Abbey was founded by Henry I in 1121, and he was buried within the abbey grounds. The foundation of the Abbey led to the town becoming a place of pilgrimage and enhanced its prosperity. The abbey was largely destroyed in 1538 during Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries.

By 1525, Reading was the largest town in Berkshire, and tax returns show that it was the 10th largest town in England, based on taxable wealth. By 1611, Reading had a population of over 5000 and had grown rich on its trade in cloth. At this time, Reading had mostly traditional timber framed houses, a few examples of which still exist in Castle Street, Market Place and other places.

The town played an important role during the English Civil War; it changed hands a number of times. It had a Royalist garrison imposed on it in 1642. The subsequent Siege of Reading by the Parliamentary forces succeeded in April 1643. The town’s cloth trade was especially badly damaged, and its economy did not fully recover until the 20th century.

Reading also played a significant role during the Glorious Revolution of 1688, with the second Battle of Reading being the only substantial military action of the campaign. William’s force of about 250 troops attacked James II’s 600-strong army from an unexpected direction, and forced the latter’s Irish troops to abandon the town. This defeat of James’s troops by an inferior force, together the willingness of the people of Reading to support William, convinced James of the insecurity of his position and he fled the country.

The 18th century saw the beginning 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.

Reading’s trade benefited from better designed turnpike roads which helped it 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. The opening of the Kennet and Avon Canal in 1810 made it possible to go by barge from Reading to the Bristol Channel.

From 1714, and probably earlier, the role of county town for Berkshire was shared between Reading and Abingdon. The Assize and Quarter Sessions courts met in both towns.

During the 19th century, the town grew rapidly as a manufacturing centre. The Great Western Railway arrived in 1841. The town has also been famous for the Three Bs of beer (1785–2010, Simonds’ Brewery), bulbs (1837–1974, Suttons Seeds), and biscuits (1822–1976, Huntley and Palmers). Census data from TheGenealogist.co.uk reveals that in 1911 more than 1000 people in the town worked as biscuit factory labourers or packers.

The site’s census analysis also shows that common surnames in the town include Allen, Webb, Cox, Wheeler, Harris, Hunt and Turner.

Berkshire Record Office is in Reading. For further details of research resources and heritage sites to visit in the county, visit heritagehunter.co.uk .