READING, a town of Berkshire in England, pleasantly seated on the river Kenneth, near the confluence with the Thames. It had once a fine rich monastery,
Readings of which there are large ruins remaining. It had also a castle built by king Henry I. but it was afterwards levelled with the ground. It is a corporation, enjoys several privileges, and sends two members to parliament. The two navigable rivers render it a fit place for trade. W. Long, 1. o. N. Lat. 51. 25.