BERKELEY (Vale of), a rich strip of dairy land, in Gloucestershire. It extends from the southern vicinity of Gloucester, along the course of the Berkeley and Gloucester canal, to its junction with the Severn; and thence past Berkeley, down the left side of the Severn, to Aust. Its length is 23 miles; and its mean breadth, about 4. The soil of the upper part is clayey; that of the lower part is deep rich loam; and nearly all is disposed in grass for the produce of the dairy. About 5,000 lbs. of butter are made weekly; and about 1,200 tons of cheese, chiefly double Gloucester, are made annually.

(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))