3 Bedford*

22 Bedford
16 Bedhampton

36 Bedingfield
27 Bedingham
15 Bedlam

County.

bo Bedford .to Lancaster pa Hants..

.pa Suffolk

pa Norfolk
pa Gloucester

.7

St. Albans .30 Oxford. .55 Cambridge 30
Newton ....7 Leigh .2 Bolton
Havant. ...1 Fareham ..9 Chichester..10
Eye .4 Debenham ..4 Framlingham 9
Bungay ..4 Harleston .7 Norwich...10
Cheltenham 2 Gloucester..7 Tewkesbury .7

butter. There is a little ironstone, limestone, and a few extraneous fos-
sils. There are several mineral springs, but none of any celebrity. The
principal landed proprietor is the Duke of Bedford. His Grace possesses
estates in about 25 parishes; under the auspices of whom and of his
illustrious brother, the county is indebted for immense agricultural im-
provements.

BEDFORD

SHIRE.

Origin of

the Bedford family.

* BEDFORD. This is an ancient corporation, the earliest charter of which is dated in 1160. It is governed by a mayor, recorder, aldermen, two chamberlains, and thirteen common councilmen. Whoever may have been a mayor is always afterwards reputed as an alderman. The mayor and bailiffs are chosen annually out of the freemen. As early as the year cient corpoVery an1295, it sent two members to parliament. The Duke of Bedford takes ration. his title from this town, which first gave title of duke to the victorious prince John Plantagenet, Regent of France, during the minority of his nephew, Henry VI. as it did in the reign of Edward IV. first to John Nevil, Marquis of Montacute, and then to the king's third son, George Plantagenet; but he dying an infant, the title lay vacant till Henry VII. created his uncle, Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford, who also died without issue; and thus far the title was enjoyed by the first possessor only of each family. But King Edward VI. making John, Lord Russel, Earl of Bedford, the dignity has ever since been in that illustrious house, with an advancement of it to the title of Duke, by King William III. The history of the noble family of Russell is curious and interesting. They appear to have originated in Dorsetshire, and owe their greatness to an accident on that coast. In the reign of Henry VII., Philip, Archduke of Austria, being bound for Spain, the heiress of which kingdom he had married, was obliged by a storm to put on shore at Weymouth, where he was received by Sir Thomas Frenchard, of Wolverton, Knt., who, till he could inform the court of the event, sent for his neighbour Mr. John Russell, then lately returned from his travels, to entertain his illustrious guests. The Archduke was so pleased with his conversation, that he recommended him to the king of England, who soon advanced him to several honourable posts, and his son Henry VIII. created him Baron Russell of Cheneys, in the county of Bucks, which estate he afterwards acquired by marriage. He was made by Henry VIII. lord warden of the stannaries, and lord admiral of England and Ireland, knight of the garter, and lord privy seal. In the reign of Edward VI. he was lord high steward for the coronation, and had a grant of Woburn Abbey, and was in the 3rd of Edward VI. 1549, created earl of Bedford. He had the honour to conduct over to England, Philip of Spain, grandson to the prince who first brought him to court and advancement. He died 1554, and was succeeded by his son Francis, who died in 1585, and was buried at Cheneys, as were most of his descendants. His son Francis being killed a day or two before his father's death, by the Scotch in the marches, his son Edward succeeded his grandfather, and died 1627; he was succeeded by his cousin Francis, son of his uncle William, lord Russell, of Thornhaugh, lord deputy of Ireland, in the reign of Elizabeth. This Francis was the first projector of the draining of the great level of the fens, called after Bedford him, Bedford Level, and dying 1641, was succeeded by his eldest son Wil-Level. liam, who after having several times joined both parties during the civil war, at last adhered to the royal cause, and suffered a severe lcss in the

BEDFORD.

First charter granted by Henry II.

King Offa buried here.

death of his only son by the very family whom he had supported; to
compensate for which he was created by King William, Marquis of Tavis-
tock, and Duke of Bedford, and dying in 1700, was succeeded by his
grandson Wriothesley. He, in 1711, by his son and namesake, and he
1732, by his brother John, who, dying in 1771, was succeeded by his
grandson Francis, the late duke, who died rather suddenly, of an illness
occasioned by a rupture, on the 2nd of March, 1802, in the 37th year of
his age. His brother, Lord John Russell, succeeded him in his title and
estates. This nobleman, so suddenly and unexpectedly raised to ducal
honours, was born on the sixth of July, 1766; and, on the 21st of March,
1786, before he had completed his twentieth year, he married at Brus-
sels, Georgiana Elizabeth, the second daughter of Viscount Torrington.
This lady died on the 11th of October, 1801; leaving issue, Francis,
born May 10, 1788; George William, born May 8, 1790; and John,
born August 19, 1792. Shortly after his accession to the title, his grace
married a second time, Georgiana, the fifth daughter of the duke of
Gordon, by whom he had several children. After the death of
Mr. Pitt, when Mr. Fox and his friends succeeded to power, his grace
was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland; a post which, without dis-
tinguishing himself as a party man, he filled to the entire and general
satisfaction of the public. When Henry II. granted a charter to the bur--
gesses of the town of Bedford, he rendered it subject to the payment of
£40. per annum, as a fee-farm rent to the crown. Their mercantile guild
and ancient privileges were confirmed by the succeeding monarch, who
also granted new privileges and immunities similar to those enjoyed by
the burgesses of Oxford. Richard II. granted still more extended privi-
leges, and among others a view of Frankpledge within the borough. In
this monarch's charter the corporation are styled the mayor, bailiffs, and
burgesses. In the reign of Edward I. the liberties of the town were seized
by that monarch, the bailiffs having neglected to discharge the fee-farm
rent. In the reign of Henry VI. the town being much decayed, many
houses gone to ruin, and the trade of it brought low, and the usual issues
discontinued, the inhabitants petitioned the king to shew them his grace:
accordingly he granted that the yearly rent should be remitted in part for
a time. In the reign of Henry VII. it was permanently reduced, through
the interposition of Sir Reginald Bray, then Prime Minister, to £20. per
annum, and afterwards to £16. 5s. 8d. which rent is now payable to their
successors. The last renewal of the charter of incorporation was in the
reign of King James II. in whose time the mayor and aldermen were re-
moved from their respective offices, by royal mandate, for neglecting to
elect two burgesses to serve in parliament. The members were in conse-
quence chosen by his Majesty's ministers. The right of election was
determined in 1690, to be in the burgesses, freemen, and inhabitant
householders not receiving alms. The number of voters is nearly 500.
Bedford is a place of great antiquity, and is supposed by some writers to
have been the Lactidorum of Antoninus; but Camden objects to this, on
the ground that the town is not situated on any Roman road, neither have
any Roman coins been found there. Its situation is upon the Ouse, by
which it is divided into two parts, in the direction of east and west. This
circumstance enables it to carry on a considerable trade with Lynn.
the Saxons' time, Bedford was a place of considerable consequence: as
appears from its having been chosen by Offa, the powerful King of the
Mercians, for his burial place. His bones were interred in a small chapel,
which being situated on the brink of the river Ouse, was afterwards un-
dermined and swept away by the floods, during an inundation. Bedford,
as has been already stated, was also famous for a victory gained in the
year 572, by Cuthwlf, the Saxon king, over the Britons. The Danes once
destroyed this town; but Edward the Elder repaired it, and united the
town on the south side of the river, called Mikesgate, to Bedford, on the

In

After BEDFORD.

north side of it; since which they have both gone by this name. the conquest, Pain de Beauchamp, the third Baron of Bedford, built a castle here, encompassed with a mighty rampart of earth, and a high wall, the whole so strong that King Stephen, who besieged and took it in his war with the Empress Maud, was glad to grant the garrison honourable terms. In the barons' wars it was again besieged, and for want of relief, taken by King John's forces under Fulco de Brent, to whom the King gave it for a reward; but for his subsequent behaviour he took it from him, and caused it to be demolished, though it was not quite level till the reign of Henry III. The celebrated John Bunyan, whom we shall notice John Bunhereafter, was ordained co-pastor of the congregation of St. Peter's, in yan. 1671, and continued in that situation until he died in 1688. The chair in which he used to sit is still preserved as a relic in the vestry of the chapel. As early as the year 1745, the Moravians, or society of Unitas Fratrum, had an establishment at Bedford, where they built a neat chapel in 1750. Of late years, however, the number of these recluse and inoffensive sectaries has considerably declined; and the house adjoining to the chapel, which was formerly appropriated to the brethren and the sisters of the society, has been converted into a school. In the year 1556, Sir Noble William Harper founded a free school in Bedford, for the instruction of charity, children of the town in grammar and good manners. The school-house founded by was rebuilt in 1767, when a statue of the founder was placed in the front, Harper. with a latin inscription beneath, to the following effect :

Sir William

The warden and fellows of New College, Oxford, are visitors of this school, and have the appointment of the masters and ushers. The master's salary is £260. with coals and candles; that of the second master is £160., with the same allowance of fire and candle. The writing-master has a salary of £80. per annum. Sir William Harper, for the support of this excellent institution, conveyed to the corporation thirteen acres and one rood of land, lying in the parish of St. Andrew, Holborn, which he had purchased for the sum of £180.; he also conveyed his late dwellinghouse, &c., at Bedford. The revenues of these estates were also to be applied towards apportioning maidens of the town on their entrance into the marriage estate. In the year 1660, the corporation leased the whole of the lands in the parish of St. Andrew, Holborn, for the term of 41 years, at the yearly rent of £99. In the year 1684, a reversionary Its revelease was granted for the further term of 51 years, at the improved rent of nues. £150. In consequence of granting these leases, a great number of houses were built, and the following streets covered the above-mentioned thirteen acres of meadow land:-Bedford-street, Bedford-row, Bedford-court, Princes-street, Theobald's-road, North-street, East-street, Lamb's Conduit-street, Queen-street, Eagle-street, Boswell-court, Queen-street, Harper-street, Richbell-court, Hand-court, Gray's Inn-passage, Three Cupyard, &c. The annual rent of these buildings is now considerably increased, and it is expected that in a few years it will amount to upwards of £30,000. This extraordinary increase of revenue occasioned the trustees to apply to parliament for two several acts to regulate its disposal, and to extend the objects of the charity. By the priorism contained in these acts of parliament, the maintenance of the master and usher of the grammar-school, and the maintenance of a master, and two ushers to the English school, is provided. Three exhibitions of £40. per annumn, are given to scholars from the free school, either at Oxford or Cambridge, during the space of six years. The sum of £800. per annum is appro