The Ballad of Reading Gaol The Ballad of Reading Gaol The Ballad of Reading Gaol is a poem by Oscar Wilde, written in exile in Berneval-le-Grand, after his release from Reading Gaol () on 19 May 1897. Wilde had been incarcerated in Reading after being convicted of homosexual offences in 1895 and sentenced to two years' hard labour in prison. During his imprisonment, on Tuesday, 7 July 1896, a hanging took place. Charles Thomas Wooldridge had been a trooper in the Royal Horse Guards. He was convicted of cutting the throat of his wife, Laura Ellen, earlier that year at Clewer, near Windsor. He was
Reading Amateur Regatta four months in Reading Gaol for attacking an umpire and tipping him into the river with a punt pole in retaliation for disqualification in the previous year's regatta. Reading Amateur Regatta Reading Amateur Regatta is a rowing regatta, on the River Thames in England which takes place at Reading, Berkshire on the reach above Caversham Lock. The regatta takes place in June and attracts top crews from around the UK. Racing takes place on the 1500-metres downstream course that stretches from St Mary's Island until just short of Reading Rowing Club clubhouse. The regatta takes place on Saturday and Sunday