Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

BEDFORDSHIRE [abbreviated Beds]

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 622 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

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 .

See also:

Industries.—See also: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 .

See also:

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 . See also: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 .

Phoenix-squares

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 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—See also:cremation and earth-See also: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 .

See also:

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 .

See also:

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]
[back]
BEDFORD
[next]
BEDLAM, or BETHLEHEM HOSPITAL

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click and select "copy." Paste it into a website, email, or other HTML document.