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 562 BERKSHIRE BERKSHIRE, or Berks, a county of England, in the midland district, lying in the basin of the Thames; area, 705 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 196,- 445. It is well watered by tbe Thames, the Kennet, the Loddon, the Ock, and the Auburn, with other smaller streams and rivulets. The surface is undulating and well wooded. The climate is one of the healthiest in England. The soil is chalk and stiff clay, with a tine rich loam in the valleys. Berkshire is essentially an agricultural county, and the owners of the model farms established under the auspices of Prince Albert, as well as those of the nu- merous large estates, have introduced many improvements. Moreover, the farms are mostly large ; drainage is general ; artificial manures are employed extensively, as well as improved ploughs and drills, and steam threshing ma- chines. Some of the best corn-producing lands in England are in this county, especially in the vale of the White Horse, watered by the Ock. The total area under cultivation in 1867 included 144,443 acres in corn, 55,412 in green crops, 40,312 in clover and grasses under rotation, and 108,377 in permanent pasture. The cattle numbered at the same period nearly 30,000, the sheep over 340,000, and the pigs, the best breed in England, 50,000. The main line of the Great Western and a branch of the Southwestern railway pass through Berkshire, as well as the navigable Wilts and Berks and Kennet and Avon canals. The county is not affected by the reform act of 1867, and con- tinues to return three members to parliament ; but its four boroughs, Reading (the shire town), Abingdon, Wallingford, and Windsor, return since 1869 only five instead of six members as formerly. The traces of ancient roads and other antiquities perpetuate the memory of the Roman period, and there are various remains of Roman or British camps. Many barrows are found, including one N. of Lambourn to which a Danish or British origin is variously assigned, though it is popularly known as Wayland Smith's cave, owing to a tradition, introduced by Sir Walter Scott in l; Kenilworth," of an invisible smith having once plied his trade here, this tradition being identified by some authorities with that of the mythical Norse hero Weland or Volunde. The White Horse is a monument of Saxon or Danish, or pos- sibly of Celtic origin, representing a horse cut in the turf, the figure being over 370 feet long. It has given the .name to the hill on which it stands, and to the vale. The peasantry pe- riodically clear away the turf, which they call " scouring the horse ; " and on this occasion a rural festival takes place, and they are enter- tained by the lord of the manor. On the sum- mit of the same hill is an ancient earthwork, known as Uffington castle ; and the principal Berkshire antiquities in this vicinity include Hardwell camp, Alfred's castle, Dragon Hill, and the Seven Barrows. Berkshire was devastated in the wars with the Danes early in the llth century, and again became a battleground in BERLICHIXGEN the following century during the civil war con- sequent upon the usurpation of Stephen. Of the famous ancient castles only Windsor castle remains, and small fragments of those of Wall- ingford and Donnington. In the 17th century Berkshire became the scene of remarkable contests between the royal and parliamentary forces, especially at the first battle of New- bury, in which Falkland fell (Sept. 20, 1643). IM II I.H H I (, i: V Gb'tz or Gottfried von, one of the last of the feudal knights of Germany, born at Jaxthausen, in Wurtemberg, in 1480, died July 23, 1562. He was educated under the charge of his uncle Konrad, a knight of the old feudal type, under whose guidance he attained remarkable skill in all warlike exercises. His first military experience was gained in the ser- vice of the elector Frederick of Brandenburg; but on the breaking out of the war of succes- sion between Rupert of the Palatinate and Albert of Bavaria, he espoused the cause of the latter, and distinguished himself by reckless bravery in the campaigns which followed. At the siege of Landshut he lost his right hand. It was replaced by one of iron, still shown in the castle where he was born ; and thus he acquired the name of Gotz with the Iron Hand. After the war he spent much of his time in feuds with his neighbors and petty conflicts, often capturing and plundering merchants, but ac- companying his exploits with many exhibitions of chivalrous generosity. In 1519 he assisted Duke Ulrich of Wurtemberg against his Swa- bian enemies, and defended Mockmuhl against an overwhelming force, surrendering on con- dition of his being allowed to withdraw with- out molestation. This agreement was treacher- ously broken, and the knight was kept for three years and a half a captive at Heilbronn, only obtaining his release by the payment of a large ransom. In the peasants' war he took a promi- nent part as a leader of the people, whose ex- cesses, however, he controlled. At the close of this he was again treacherously captured and obliged to swear that he would appear when summoned before the leaders of the Swabian confederation. He kept his oath, and was sen- tenced by them, after a two years' imprisonment, to give bonds and an oath that he would keep the following conditions : he must take up his resi- dence in the castle of Hornberg, and promise not to spend a single night away from it ; even in the day he must not pass certain designated boundaries ; he must not mount a horse ; he must not himself take revenge on any one of those now sentencing him, nor must he employ any of his friends to do so. If he violated these conditions, he must pay 25,000 florins. He must also pay an indemnity for the damage he had done the cities of Mentz and Wurzburg. Von Berlichingen kept this agreement for 11 years, and was at last released from it after the breaking up of the Swabian confederacy. In 1541 he fought under Charles V. against the Turks, at the head of a band of picked men. In 1544 he took part in the campaign against