The division of the county into Hundreds dates from Saxon times. Each
Hundred was governed by a High Constable, or Bailiff, and formerly
there was a Court of Justice, called the Hundred Court, which was
held regularly for the trial of causes, but this court fell into
disuse. By various Acts of Parliament the Hundred is made liable for
damage caused to persons by riots.
In early days most of Berkshire was divided amongst different manors,
and each manor had a Manorial Court or Court Baron.
It has been already explained in Chapter 3 that the present
administrative county differs somewhat from the geographical county,
and as the town of Reading with a tract around it has been formed
into the "County Borough of Reading" it is not for most administrative
purposes a part of the county of Berks.
The chief officials of Berkshire, under His Majesty the King, are
the Lord Lieutenant, the Custos Rotulorum, and the Sheriff. The first
two of these offices are usually held by the same person.
The office of Lord Lieutenant dates from about the time of Edward IV,
and he was formerly the chief military officer of the Crown in the
county. The Custos Rotulorum is the first amongst the justices, but
the High Sheriff has precedence in the county. The Custos selects the
county magistrates, and they are appointed by the Lord Chancellor. The
office of Custos dates from the time of Edward III. He is nominally
the keeper of the County Records, but in these days they are in fact
in the charge of the Clerk of the Peace.
The Sheriff was originally elected by the people in the county, but
since the time of Edward II he has been appointed by the Crown. He was
the agent through whom the King collected his dues, and in time became
the military as well as the judicial and executive head of the county
and headed the posse comitatus or power of the county. During the Wars
of the Roses his influence became less, and the Lord Lieutenant took
his place to some extent. It is recorded in Domesday Book that Godric
the Sheriff of Berkshire gave a lady with the name of Aluuid half an
acre of the royal domain as a present for teaching his daughter the
art of gold embroidery.
The Sheriff is the first man in the county, taking precedence of all
peers and of the Lord Lieutenant. He is appointed annually.
The county is divided into Petty Sessional divisions for magisterial
purposes, and the Court of Quarter Sessions is a general meeting of all
the justices of the county. In boroughs, Reading, Abingdon, Newbury,
and Windsor, the Court of Quarter Sessions is held by a Recorder.
The affairs of the county (not including Reading, which is a County
Borough of itself) are managed by the County Council, which was
established by statute of 1888, and by District and Parish Councils,
which were established by an Act of 1894. The county is divided
into eleven districts, Bradfield, Windsor, Cookham, Easthampstead,
Wokingham, Newbury, Hungerford, Wantage, Wallingford, Faringdon,
and Abingdon.
The affairs of the County Borough of Reading are managed by its Mayor
and Corporation.
For purposes of Assizes, Berkshire is on the Oxford circuit, and the
Court is held at Reading. County Courts are held from time to time
at the various towns. The County Court circuits are quite different
from the Assize Court circuits.
For Parliamentary elections the county is divided into three divisions,
Abingdon, Newbury, and Wokingham, each of which returns one member
to Parliament. Reading also returns a member to Parliament, and so
does Windsor, but the Parliamentary borough of Windsor includes a
considerable tract outside Berkshire.