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BEDFORDSHIRE [abbreviated Beds]

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 622 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BEDFORDSHIRE [abbreviated Beds] , a See also:south midland See also:county of See also:England, bounded N. E. by See also:Huntingdonshire, E. by See also:Cambridge-See also:shire, S.E. by See also:Hertfordshire, W. by See also:Buckinghamshire and N.W. by See also:Northamptonshire. It is the See also:fourth smallest See also:English county, having an See also:area of 466.4 sq. m. It lies principally in the See also:middle See also:part of the See also:basin of the See also:river See also:Ouse, which, entering in the See also:north-See also:west, traverses the See also:rich and beautiful Vale of See also:Bedford with a See also:serpentine course past the county See also:town of Bedford to the north-eastern corner near St Neots. North of it the See also:land is undulating, but See also:low; to the south, a well-wooded See also:spur of the Chiltern Hills separates the Vale of Bedford from the See also:flat open tributary valley of the Ivel. A small part of the See also:main See also:line of the Chilterns is included in the south of the county, the hills rising sharply from the See also:lowland to See also:bare heights exceeding 600 ft. above See also:Dunstable. In this neighbourhood the county includes the headwaters of the See also:Lea, and thus a small portion of it falls within the See also:Thames basin. In the north a few streams are tributary to the Nene. See also:Geology.—The See also:general trend of the outcrops of the various formations is from south-west to north-See also:east; the See also:dip is south-easterly. In the See also:northern portion of the county, the Middle Oolites are the most important, and of these, the See also:Oxford See also:Clay predominates over most of the low ground upon which Bedford is situated. At See also:Ampthill a development of clay, the Ampthill clay, represents the See also:Corallian limestones of neighbouring counties. The See also:Cornbrash is represented by no more than about 2 ft. of See also:limestone; but the Kellaways See also:Rock is well exposed near Bedford; the sandy parts of this rock are frequently cemented to See also:form hard masses called " doggers." The See also:Great Ouse, from the point where it enters the county on the west, has carved through the Middle Oolites and exposed the Great Oolite as far as Bedford; their alternating limestones and See also:clays may be seen in the quarries not far from the town.

From See also:

Woburn through Ampthill to Potton a more elevated See also:tract is formed by the See also:Lower See also:Greensand. These rocks are sandy throughout. At See also:Leighton See also:Buzzard they are dug on a large See also:scale for various purposes. Beds of See also:fuller's See also:earth occur in this formation at Woburn. At Potton, phosphatized nodules may be obtained, and here a hard See also:bed, the " See also:Car-See also:stone," lies at the See also:top of the formation. Above the Lower Greensand comes the See also:Gault Clay, which lies in the broad vale south-east of the former and north-west of the See also:Chalk hills. The Chalk rises up above the Gault and forms the high ground of Dunshill See also:Moors and the Chiltern Hills. At the See also:base of the Chalk is the Chalk See also:Marl, above this is the Totternhoe Stone, which, on See also:account of its great hardness, usually stands out as a well-marked feature. The Lower Chalk, which comes next in the upward See also:succession, is capped in a similar manner by the hard Chalk Rock, as at See also:Royston and elsewhere. The upper Chalk-with-Flints occurs near the south-eastern boundary. Patches of glacial See also:boulder clay and See also:gravel See also:lie upon the older rocks over most of the area. Many interesting mammalian fossils, See also:rhinoceros, See also:mammoth, &c., with See also:palaeolithic implements, have been found in the valley gravels of the river Ouse and its tributaries.

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Industries.—Agriculture is important, nearly nine-tenths of the See also:total area being under cultivation. The See also:chief See also:crop is See also:wheat, for which the See also:soil in the Vale of Bedford is specially suited; while on the sandy See also:loam of the Ivel valley, in the neighbourhood of See also:Biggleswade, See also:market-gardening is extensively carried on, the produce going principally to See also:London, whither a considerable quantity of See also:butter and other See also:dairy-produce is also sent. The manufacture of agricultural machinery and implements employs a large number of hands at Bedford and See also:Luton. Luton, however, is specially noted for the manufacture of See also:straw hats. Straw-plaiting was once extensively carried on in this See also:neighbour-See also:hood by See also:women and girls in their cottage homes, but has now almost entirely disappeared owing to the importation of See also:Chinese and See also:Japanese plaited straw. Another See also:local See also:industry in the county is the manufacture of See also:pillow-See also:lace. Many of the lace designs are See also:French, as a number of French refugees settled in and near Cranfield. Mechlin and Maltese patterns are also copied. Communications are provided in the east by the Great Northern main line, passing Biggleswade, and in the centre by that of the Midland railway, serving Ampthill and Bedford. The Bletchley and Cambridge See also:branch of the London & North-Western railway crosses these main lines at Bedford and Sandy respectively. The main line of the same See also:company serves Leighton Buzzard in the south-west, and there is a branch thence to Dunstable, which, with Luton, is also served by a branch of the Great Northern line. A branch of the Midland railway south from Bedford connects with the Great Northern line at See also:Hitchin, and formerly afforded the Midland See also:access to London over Great Northern metals.

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Population and See also:Administration.—The area of the See also:ancient county is 298,494 acres, with a population in 1891 of 161,704 and in 1901 of 171,240. The area of the administrative county is 302,947 acres. The municipal boroughs are Bedford (pop. 35,144), Dunstable (5157) and Luton (36,404). The other See also:urban districts are—Ampthill (2177), Biggleswade (5120), Kempston, connected with Bedford to the south-west (4729), and Leighton Buzzard (6331). Potton (2033), Shefford (874), and Woburn (1129) are lesser towns, and local centres of the agricultural See also:trade. The county is the midland See also:circuit, and assizes are held at Bedford. It has one See also:court of See also:quarter-sessions, and is divided into eight See also:petty sessional divisions. The boroughs of Bedford, Dunstable and Luton have See also:separate commissions of the See also:peace, and Bedford has a separate court of quarter-sessions. There are 133 See also:civil parishes. Bedfordshire forms an archdeaconry in the See also:diocese. of See also:Ely, with 125 ecclesiastical parishes and parts of 6 others. The county has two See also:parliamentary divisions, Northern (or Biggleswade), and See also:Southern (or Luton), each returning one member; and Bedford is a parliamentary See also:borough, returning one member.

The See also:

principal institution, apart from those in the towns, is the great Three Counties See also:asylum (for Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Huntingdonshire), in the south-east of the county near Arlesey. See also:History.—Although the Saxon invaders were naturally attracted to Bedfordshire by its abundant See also:water See also:supply and facilities for See also:agriculture, the remains of their settlements are few and scattered. They occur, with one exception, south of the Ouse, the most important being a See also:cemetery at Kempston, where two systems—cremation and earth-burial—are found See also:side by side. See also:Early reference to Bedfordshire See also:political history is scanty. In 571 Cuthwulf inflicted a severe defeat on the Britons at Bedford and took four towns. During the See also:Heptarchy what is now the shire formed part of See also:Mercia; by the treaty of See also:Wedmore, how-ever, it became Danish territory, but was recovered by See also:King See also:Edward (919–921). The first actual mention of the county comes in 1016 when King Canute laid See also:waste to the whole shire. There was no organized resistance to the conqueror within Bedfordshire, though the Domesday survey reveals an almost See also:complete substitution of See also:Norman for English holders. In the civil See also:war of See also:Stephen's reign the county suffered severely; the great See also:Roll of the See also:Exchequer of 1165 proves the shire receipts had depreciated in value to two-thirds of the See also:assessment for the See also:Danegeld. Again the county was thrown into the barons' war when Bedford See also:Castle, seized from the Beauchamps by Falkes de See also:Breaute, one of the royal partisans, was the See also:scene of three sieges before it was demolished by the king's orders in 1224. The peasants' revolt (1377–1381) was marked by less violence here than in neighbouring counties; the See also:Annals of Dunstable make brief mention of a rising in that town and the demand for and granting of a See also:charter. In 1638 See also:ship-See also:money was levied on Bedfordshire, and in the Civil War that followed, the county was one of the foremost in opposing the king.

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Clarendon observes that here See also:Charles had no visible party or fixed quarter. Bedfordshire is divided into nine hundreds, Barford, Biggleswade, See also:Clifton, Flitt, Manshead, Redbornestoke, Stodden, Willey and Wiscamtree, and the See also:liberty, See also:half See also:hundred or borough of Bedford. From the Domesday survey it appears that in the 11th See also:century there were three additional half hundreds, viz. Stanburge, Buchelai and Weneslai, which had by the 14th century become parts of the hundreds of Manshead, Willey and Biggleswade respectively. Until 1574 one See also:sheriff did See also:duty for Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, the shire court of the former being held at Bedford. The See also:jurisdiction of the hundred courts, excepting Flitt, remained in the king's See also:possession. Flitt was See also:parcel of the See also:manor of Luton, and formed part of the See also:marriage portion of Eleanor, See also:sister of See also:Henry III. and wife of See also:William See also:Marshall. The burgesses of Bedford and the See also:prior of Dunstable claimed jurisdictional freedom in those two boroughs. The Hundred Rolls and the Placita de quo warranto show that important jurisdiction had accrued to the great over-lordships, such as those of See also:Beauchamp, Wahull and Caynho, and to several religious houses, the prior of St See also:John of See also:Jerusalem claiming rights in more than fifty places in the county. With regard to parliamentary See also:representation, the first See also:original See also:writ which has been discovered was issued in 1290 when two members were returned for the county. In 1295 in addition to the county members, writs are found for two members to represent Bedford borough. Subsequently until See also:modern times two county and two borough members were returned regularly.

Owing to its favourable situation Bedfordshire has always been a prominent agricultural rather than manufacturing county. From the 13th to the 15th century See also:

sheep farming flourished, Bedfordshire See also:wool being in See also:request and plentiful. Surviving records show that in assessments of wool to the king, Bedfordshire always provided its full See also:quota. Tradition says that the straw-See also:plait industry owes its introduction to See also:James I., who transferred to Luton the See also:colony of See also:Lorraine plaiters whom See also:Mary See also:queen of Scots had settled in See also:Scotland. Similarly the lace industry is associated with See also:Catherine of See also:Aragon, who, when trade was dull, burnt her lace and ordered new to be made. As See also:late as the 19th century the lace makers kept " Cattern's See also:Day " as the See also:holiday of their See also:craft. The Flemings, expelled by See also:Alva's persecutions (1569), brought the manufacture of Flemish lace to Cranfield, whence it spread to surrounding districts. The revocation of the See also:edict of See also:Nantes, and consequent French See also:immigration, gave further impetus to the industry. See also:Defoe See also:writing in 1724–1727 mentions the See also:recent improvements in the Bedfordshire See also:bone-lace manufacture. In 1794 further French refugees joined the Bedfordshire lace makers. Woburn See also:Abbey, belonging to the Russells since 1547, is the seat of the See also:duke of Bedford, the greatest landowner in the county. The Burgoynes of See also:Sutton, whose baronetcy See also:dates from 1641, have been in Bedfordshire since the 15th century, whilst the See also:Osborn See also:family have owned Chicksands Priory since its See also:purchase by See also:Peter Osborn in 1576.

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Sir See also:Phillip Monoux See also:Payne represents the ancient Monoux family of Wootton. Other county families are the Crawleys of Stockwood near Luton, the Brandreths of See also:Houghton Regis, and the Orlebars of Hinwick. With the See also:division of the Mercian diocese in 679 Bedfordshire See also:fell naturally to the new see of See also:Dorchester. It formed part of See also:Lincoln diocese from 1075 until 1837, when it was finally transferred to Ely. In 1291 Bedfordshire was an archdeaconry including six rural deaneries, which remained practically unaltered until 1880, when they were increased to eleven with a new See also:schedule of parishes. Antiquities.—The monastic remains in Bedfordshire include the See also:fine fragment of the See also:church of the Augustinian priory at Dunstable, serving as the See also:parish church; the church (also imperfect) of Elstow near Bedford, which belonged to a See also:Benedictine nunnery founded by See also:Judith, niece of William the Conqueror; and portions of the Gilbertine Chicksands Priory and of a Cistercian See also:foundation at Old See also:Warden. In the parish churches, many of which are of great See also:interest, the predominant styles are Decorated and Perpendicular. See also:Work of pre-See also:Conquest date, however, is found in the massive See also:tower of Clapham church, near Bedford on the north, and in a See also:door of Stevington church. Fine Norman and Early English work is seen at Dunstable and Elstow, and the later See also:style is illustrated by the large cruciform churches at Leighton Buzzard and at Felmersham on the Ouse above Bedford. Among the Perpendicular additions to the church last named may be noted a very beautiful oaken See also:rood-See also:screen. To illustrate Decorated and Perpendicular the churches of Clifton and of See also:Marston Moretaine, with its massive detached campanile, may be mentioned; and Cople church is a See also:good specimen of fine Perpendicular work. The church of Cockayne Hatley, near Potton, is fitted with rich Flemish carved See also:wood, mostly from the abbey of Alne near See also:Charleroi, and dating from 1689, but brought here by a former See also:rector early in the 19th century.

In See also:

medieval domestic See also:architecture the county is not rich. The See also:mansion of Woburn Abbey dates from the middle of the 18th century.

End of Article: BEDFORDSHIRE [abbreviated Beds]

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