Berkshire

	Coonty
	;
Sovereign state	Unitit Kinrick
Constituent kintra	Ingland
Region	Sooth East Ingland
Oreegin	Historic
Ceremonial coonty
Area	[convert: needs a number]
• Rankit	o 48
• Rankit	o 48
Density	[convert: needs a number]
Ethnicity	88.7% White; 6.8% S.Asie; 2.0% Black.
Time zone	Greenwich Mean Time (UTC)
• Simmer (DST)	Breetish Simmer Time (UTC+1)

Berkshire (/[unsupported input]ˈbɑːrkʃər/ or /ˈbɑːrkʃɪər/, abbreviated Berks) is baith a ceremonial coonty an a historic coonty o Ingland. The admeenistrative coonty o Berkshire includin the Berkshire County Council wur abolished in 1998. The coonty is aften referred tae as the Royal County of Berkshire acause o the presence o the ryal residence o Windsor Castle in the county; this uisage, which dates tae the 19t century at least, wis recognised bi the Queen in 1957, an letters patent issued confirmin this in 1974.^[1]^[2]

The ceremonial coonty haes the same bundaries as the umwhile admeenistrative coonty, but historically the coonty wis no co-terminous wi this. The coonty borders the coonties o Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Wiltshire an Hampshire. Housomeivver the historical several touns tae the northwast where athin the coonty (includin Abingdon, Didcot an Wantage) that wur muivit intae Oxfordshire in 1974 bundary chynges. At the same time the toun o Slough wis muivit intae Berkshire frae Buckinghamshire.^[3]

Unner bundary chynges in 1995, the coonty acquired a bundary wi Greater Lunnon an aw.^[4] A later reorganisation, in 1998, abolished the coonty cooncil. The heichest tier o local govrenment in Berkshire are nou the unitary authorities o Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, Wast Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead an Wokingham.