Put the berries and brown sugar in a bowl. Stir with a kitchen fork until the berries release enough liquid to make a gritty syrup. Set aside for 30 minutes, and stir a few strokes with a wooden spoon.
Cut the butter into chunks and stir with a wire whisk into the flour until it disappears into small crumbs. Add the half-and-half and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until you have a smooth but thick batter.
Pour the batter and the berries into a metal baking pan of suitable size, so that the contents are about an inch and a half deep. Stir the contents enough to make large swirls of berries in the batter. Sprinkle the white sugar on top.
Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the berry wells are bubbling.
Allow to cool ten minutes. Serve as is, or garnished with whipped cream or ice cream and fresh berries.
