Page 254 - Reading Mercury

besides these—all the Berkshire roses have come out too (applause). I may only add
that I myself have two very young buds with a maternal blossom (laughter and
applause). I regret they are not present themselves. They have never been in
Berkshire, but still, as being my wife and children, they are connected with Berkshire,
and I have no doubt you would welcome them equally if they came, as I hope some
day they will, to pay a visit to this town—(loud applause). I feel much obliged to all
of you for all you have done for me in honouring me with your presence this day
(loud applause).”
Recorder Mr F. A. Carrington said it was with pleasure and pride that he appeared
in this hall for the first time as Recorder, and that he should be the first Recorder to
appear in it. His connection with the town did not go back to the time of the old hall,
although he knew that building, and certainly it was a very useful building to the
Corporation and town for a good while. But like many good things it had worn out,
and the steps that led up and down to the council chamber were so worn that he
thought the first time he went down them, he should have went down head, foremost
but luckily he was caught in time, and the accident did not happen (laughter).
The town of Wokingham had been an inhabited place for a great many centuries.
The first mention he knew of the town was in the charter of Offa, King of the
Mercians in 726, wherein he granted to his prefect—whether that was the alderman of
Wokingham in those days he could not ascertain, because it was a Latin term, but
probably it was the same—some rights appertaining to the church situate in the
territory of the Wokings, which appeared to be a district inhabited by a Saxon tribe
extending from Woking on the one side to Wokingham on the other.
The place seemed to have taken the same name, because as late as Queen
Elizabeth’s charter, the town was called Wokingham, and as Wokingham was not a
town, most probably this was the place mentioned previously. So far they traced the
history of the town very far back, and in that state it seemed to have continued until
the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and then there was an alderman under that name. Queen
Elizabeth confirmed various privileges to the town which had existed from time
immemorial—one of which was that her steward of the manor of Sonning was to
administer the affairs of the town conjointly with the alderman. So things remained
until the reign of James the First, when the town took a start very much in the right
direction.
Through the influence at the court of James of an ancestor of their present High
Steward—the then Lord Braybrooke, the present government charter was obtained.
Then they had the Corporation exactly as they are now, with certainly as good as staff
for the administration of the affairs of a town as could well be obtained. There was the
Lord High Steward, and his duties were not defined by the charter, but it was easy to
ascertain what they were. He was the medium of communication between the court at
Windsor castle, the government and the town. These were duties not easily defined by
charter but very well understood by persons acquainted with politics, either of that
period or the present.
The next officer King James gave them was the Recorder, who he hoped was and
had been of great use in the administration of justice, both civil and criminal, because
he held sessions for the transaction of criminal business and also a local court for the
adjudication in civil causes, not exceeding £50, so that if they required it, they could
obtain a settlement of such cases there, and with the sessions they had not got many
prisoners for trial at the assizes or elsewhere.
In addition Sir H. Neville gave them a local magistracy, which rendered it
unnecessary for them to go to other places, and also granted the privilege of holding a

252