It is also known as Royal Berkshire, and this title was made official with a grant in the 1930s. The county is one of the oldest in England, being reliably dated back to the setting of the county borders by King Alfred the Great of Wessex. Following the reorganisation of the counties in 1974, Abingdon (its former county town) and the Vale of the White Horse were transferred to Oxfordshire, Slough was added from Buckinghamshire, and Reading became the county town. On April 1, 1998 the county council was abolished and the districts became unitary authorities.
The county takes its name from a large forest of birch trees that was called Bearroc (Celtic for 'hilly') and was originally a transaction of land to King Cenwalh of Wessex. At this time, it only consisted of the northerly and westerly parts of the current county.
The County of Avon was formed in 1974 from the City of Bath, the City and County of Bristol, the southern part of the County of Glocestershire and the northern part of the County of Somerset.
The County of Hereford and Worcester was formed in 1974 from the City of Worcester, the County of Herefordshire and the majority of the County of Worcestershire.
The pikeman represents the former County of Huntingdon and its Cromwellian tradition, and the abbot for the Soke.
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