 Newbury was the site of two battles the first in 1643 and the second 1644.In 1295, Berkshire returned two Knights of the Shire to parliament for the county and two for the borough of Reading.Later the boroughs of Newbury, Wallingford, Windsor and Abingdon secured representation, and from 1557 until the Reform Act of 1832 the county was represented by a total of ten members.