BELH 



BKDRORD. 



Bufua, thought it neetMsry to build adjoining to the town a very 

 strong castle, which wa* urrounded by a rut intrenchment of earth, 

 at wall a* a lofty and thick wall. " While thin castle stood," says 

 Camden, " there waa DO itorm of civil war that did not burst upon it" 

 In 1137 it sustained a aioge against King Stephen and his army. In 

 1216 William <le Beauchamp, being then possessed of the bnrony of 

 Bedford, took part with the rebellious barons, and received them as 

 friend* into the castle, which they were advancing to besiege. Faukes 

 de Brent, the favourite of King John, having taken the caatle, the 

 king gave it to him with the barony for bin services. His presumption 

 however in fortifying the caatle on hi* own behalf, and his rapacity 

 and oppression towards his lee* powerful neighbours, led to a collision 

 in r.".M between D Brent and the king's justices then in council The 

 king (Henry III.) at length only pardoned De Brent on condition of 

 hi* abjuring the realm ; and acting on the determination to uproot 

 this ' nursery of sedition,' as Camden styles it, Henry ordered the 

 castle to be dismantled, and the ditches to be filled up. The barony 

 was restored to William de Beauchamp, with permission to erect a 

 mansion-house on the site of the castle, but with careful stipulation!) 

 to prevent him from construing this into leave to build a fortress. 

 The king's intentions as to the demolition of the castle do not seem 

 to have been executed to the letter ; for ' the ruinous castle of Bedford ' 

 is mentioned about 250 years later ; and Camden speaks of its ruins 

 as still existing in his time. At present not one stone of the fabric 

 remains ; but a few years ago its site might be very distinctly traced 

 at the back of the Swan Inn. The domain first became a dukedom 

 when given to John, third son of Henry VI. 



Bedford is considered a borough and corporation by prescription, 

 and is so called in all legal proceedings. The first .charter on record 

 was granted to the town by Henry II., and the last by Charles IL 

 The manor of Bedford is vested in the corporation by virtue of ancient 

 grant*, the earliest of which is that of Henry II. The aldermen for 

 the time being are lords of the manor, and have the right of fishing 

 and taking game to the extent of the bounds, which include a space 

 of upwards of nine miles in circumference, comprising an area of 2200 

 acres. The town has sent two members to Parliament ever since the 

 year 12V5. 



The town of Bedford lies nearly in the centre of the borough, with 

 a broad belt of pasture-land on every side. It has been greatly im- 

 proved within the present century. The communication between the 

 parts of the town separated by the Ouse is by a handsome stone bridge 

 of five arches. This bridge was commenced in 1811 on the site of an 

 old one of seven arches, which was popularly considered to have been 

 built with the materials of the castle demolished by Henry III., but 

 which Qrose understood to have been erected in the reign of Queen 

 Mary out of the ruins of St Dunstau's church, which stood on the 

 south side of the bridge. The town is well paved, is lighted with gas, 

 and has an efficient police. 



Bedford has five parish churches. Those of St Paul, St Peter, and 

 St. Cuthbert are ou the north side of the river ; those of St. Vary and 

 St John the Baptist are on the south side. St Paul's church, which was 

 repaired in 1849, is the principal architectural ornament of the town. 

 It is large, with a nave and south aisle divided by early English ]>>> i> 

 and arches. The west door, tower, and octagonal spire are of the 

 decorated style. The windows are mostly of the perpendicular style. 

 The old pulpit is of stone, with carved panels, and is ornamented with 

 gilt tracery on a blue ground : it ha* been removed to the south aisle, 

 which is used as a demesne court, and a more convenient oak pulpit 

 ha* been substituted. In the church are brasses of Sir William Harpur, 

 the founder of the Hot-par Charity, and his wife. A new district 

 church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, in the parish of St Paul. v. , 

 opened in 1841. The old church of St Peter is a small building with 

 a central tower. Portions of it are supposed to be of Anglo-Saxon 

 work. There is a curiou* Norman doorway. The body of the church 

 is of the early English style. In the church is a fine antique f-.nt, 

 and some ancient stained glass i* in the window*. This church was 

 enlarged in 1848. St Cuthbert' church i* a modern cruciform edifice 

 in the Norman style ; it waa opened in 1847. St Mary's church is a 

 mall plain building for the moat part of the perpendicular st \ ' 

 wa* repaired in 1842. The tower of St John'* church in of 

 peodicular style, but the church itoelf, especially the inter)"!. I, ,- 

 been modernised. St John'* Church wa* formerly an hospital, and 

 contained a master and 60 brethren. 



In Bedford there are several chapels belonging to the Independents, 

 Wesleyan Methodist*, Baptists, United Brethren (or Moravians), and 

 other sect*. There is also a small synagogue for the Jews. The old 

 Baptist meeting house in Mill Lane wa* established in 1650 under the 

 ministry of John Gilford, who had been a major in the king'* army. 

 John Bunyon, the celebrated author of the ' Pilgrim'* Progress,' was 

 ordained oo-pa*tor of thi* congregation with Samuel Fenn in 1671, and 

 continued to fill that office tiff hi* death in 1688. Hi. memory is still 

 greatly venerated by the congregation a* it is indeed by the towns- 

 men generally ; the chair on which he need to sit is preserved in the 

 vestry a* a sort of relic. Bunyan'i copy of Foxe'* ' Acts and Monu- 

 ment* ' (the Book of Martyrs) is preserved in the Bedford General 

 Library, having been purchased a few years back by aubscrip! 

 a considerable nun, and presented to that institution. The Bunyan 

 ha* been rebuilt; it wa* opened in 1850, and U a 



commodious and handsome building. The Moravians have had an 

 establishment at Bedford ever since 1745, but the chapel was not 

 built till 1751. Adjoining to it is the house for the single sisters who 

 live in community. There is also a female boarding-school attached 

 to the establishment 



Bedford is distinguished by the variety and magnitude of ito charit- 

 able and educational establishment*. Besides the 58 almshouse* 

 under Sir William Harpur' s charity, houses for 8 poor person* were 

 built by T. Christie, Esq. The County Lunatic Asylum was opened 

 in 1812, being the first county institution of the kind erected uml. r 

 the Act of Parliament empowering their erection. The General In- 

 firmary, an extensive building situated at a short distance from the 

 town, was erected in 1803, chiefly from funds bequeathed !;, s nun. 1 

 Whit bread, Esq. It was originally intended for 50 patients, but ha* 

 since been enlarged, and continues to be supported, by subscr 

 The Marquis of Tavistock, after a contested election for the county, 

 in which he refused to expend any mocey upon election expenses, 

 gave towards enlarging the infirmary the sum (20002.) which would 

 probably have been spent in treating the electors. In connection with 

 the infirmary is a fever hospital. A Charity school for 20 children of 

 the parishes of St Paul and St Cuthbert was founded before 1737 by 

 the Rev. Mr. Leith and others. 



Sir William Harpur, alderman of London, in the reign of Kdward VI. 

 founded a Free school for the instruction of the children of the town of 

 Bedford in grammar and good manners. The donor onm-yed 

 corporation thirteen acres of land in the parish of St. Andr.-w. llolborn 

 (London), for the support of this school, and for portioning p >.r 

 maidens of the town ; the overplus, if any, to be given in aim - 

 poor. The land having been let on building leases, Lamb's Conduit 

 Street, Harpur Street, Theobald's Road, Bedford Street, Bedford How, 

 New North Street, East Street, Green Street, and some smaller streets 

 were built upon it ; and thus the property has gradually risen in value 

 from below 1502. a year to upwards of 12,5002., which was its amount 

 in 1849. The charity lias several time* required the interposit 

 Parliament to regulate its dixtribution. It at present supports a 

 Grammar school, which hod 156 free scholars and 1 6 boarders in 1851, 

 the portion of the endowment appropriated for the school being under 

 3000/. ; a Commercial or English school ; a Preparatory English sclnMil ; 

 a National school; a Girls' school, and an Infant school, all of which 

 are well attended. The girls iuthe hospital fonpoor children, a 

 branch of the charity, are taught household duties, needle-work, 

 ing and writing, by the mistress. In these schools provision is made 

 for the gratuitous instruction of the children of all resident parishioners 

 of the five parishes of the town of Bedford. Books and stationery are 

 gratuitously supplied. 



Part of the income arising from Sir William Harpur' s bequest is 

 also appropriated to the support of almshouscs, to the portioning 

 young women in marriage, to the payment of premiums for appn n 

 ticing youths, to distributing alms to the poor, and to other benevolent 

 purposes. In 184!) about 17502. was expended on the almshouscs; 

 nearly 7002. on the hospital; 400/. in marriage portions; S.W. in 

 apprentice fees ; 17i>2. ou donations to servants ; 1742. on alms to the 

 poor; and 2802. on charitable l.en. -f:u -tioiis. Owing however t . former 

 bad management the charity is much in debt 



In the Grammar school besides the head master there are three 

 assistant masters, a mathematical tutor. and arithmetical. Kn-n 

 drawing masters. The warden and fellows of New College, Oxford, 

 are visitor* of the school, and appoint the master and second n 

 The exhibitions are eight in number, of the value of 802. per annum 

 each ; and are designed for boys educated in the school to assist 

 in completing their education at Oxford, Cambridge, or Dublin. Six 

 of the exhibitions are held exclusively by town boys ; but the exa- 

 miners from New College, are at liberty, as they see fit, to bestow the 

 other two on the most deserving of the boarders. 



About 25 boys in the National school are clothed from a fund left 

 by Alderman Newton of Leicester. A new building for the Engliah 

 and National schools, containing large school rooms, a lilt: 

 hospital for the board and education of boys and girls, a cnmmittee- 

 room, clerk's house, and various offices were erected a few year 

 by the trustees of Sir William Hnrpur'n charity. 



The Bedford school-buildings, which are in the Tudor or collegiate 

 style of English architecture, now f the <hnf ornaments of 



the town. The shire hall is a substantial building of stone erected in 

 1768; a large brick building was erected for a house of iii.li. 

 1796 ; and a county jail was built in 1801, towards which Mr. Whit- 

 bread contributed 5002. Among the more prominent of the new 

 building* in Bedford may be mentioned the Bedford Library and 

 Subscription Boom*, a handsome building erected in 1835 ; the Corn 

 Exchange ; and a jail which is constructed for the separate system of 

 punishment 



The neighbourhood of Bedford being very productive in wheat and 

 barley, much business i* done there in the com trade ; there is also 

 a very considerable trade, by means of the Ouse, between Bedford 

 and Lynn, in malt, coals, timber, and iron. Lace-making affords 

 employment to a great number of poor females and children. 

 principal market-day is Saturday, when the average sale of wheat is 

 very largo; there was formerly also a 'I irket, but it has 



been discontinued, and one on Monday for the sale of pigs has been 



