Joseph Berington, an English author, born in Shropshire in 1744, died at Buckland in Berkshire, Dec. 1, 1827. He belonged to a Roman Catholic family, was educated at St. Omer, and after 20 years' ministry as a priest in France was placed in charge of a chapel at Buckland near Oxford. He wrote a number of controversial works; a valuable "History of the Lives of Abelard and Heloisa" (London, 1784); "Account of the Present State of Roman Catholics in Great Britain" (1787); "History of the Reign of Henry II. and of Richard and John," especially with reference to the life of Thomas a Becket (Birmingham, 1790); "Memoirs of Gregorio Panzani, giving an Account of his Agency in England in 1634-'5-'6" (London, 1793), a translation from the Italian, which gave great offence to the Catholics; "Examination of Events termed Miraculous" (1796), in which he disputed the authenticity of certain accounts of wonderful events in Italy; "The Faith of Catholics," with Dr. Kirk (1813); and a "Literary His-tory of the Middle Ages " (1814).