BED 



BED 



five confolidated pariiT-.^s. A new town gaol has lately 

 been erefted, and a county gaol is juft finiilied ; towards the 

 completion of v.-hich the b.te Mr. Whitbread left a legacy 

 of 500I. This town contains Soc houfcs and 394.8 inhabi- 

 tants. 



Bedford was made a dukedom by Henry the fifth, who 

 conftituted John Plantagenct, third fon of Henry the fourth, 

 the firll duke. After being enjoyed by a Nevil, and a de Hat- 

 fitld, it was befiowed on Jolin RulTcl, in whole family it 

 ftill continues. SecRussEL. 



At Elftow, abo\il one mile from Bedford, was an abbey 

 of benediftine nuns, founded by Judith, niece to the con- 

 queror. At the difibli'.tion its revenues were valued at 

 284.1. I2S. II Jd. TJ!e church of Elilow is a very line an- 

 cient building, with, a detached tower. This place gave birth 

 to JohnBunyanin the year 162S. His allegory of the Pil- 

 grin;'^ Progrefj was written di:; ing confinement in the county 

 gaol. See BuNYAs. Bauties of England andWales, vol. i. 



Bedford, a townfhip of America, in HilKhorough cour.ty. 

 New Hamplhire, incorporated in 1750, and containing Sgti 

 inhabitants. It lies on the well bank of Merrimack river, 

 j6 miles weft of Portfmouth. 



Bedford, a townlliip in Middlefex county, MafTachu- 

 fetts, containing 523 inhabitants, 13 miles northerly from 

 Bofton. 



Bedford, A^e-u, a flouridiing town of Briftol county, in 

 Maflachufetts, containing 3313 inhabitants, lying at the 

 head of navigation on Accufhnet river, 5S miles fouthward 

 of Bofton. 'N. lat. 40° 41'. W. long. 70° 52'. 



Bedford, a townlhip of Weft Chefter connty, in the 

 flate of New York, containing 2470 inhabitants, including 

 3S flaves. It lies contiguous to Connecticut, 12 miles N. 

 from Long Ifland found, and 35 from the city of New 

 York. In the cenfus of 179^', it appeared to have 302 

 eleftors. 



Bedford, a town on the weft end of Long Ifland in New 

 York, 4 miles N. W. from Jamaica bay, and 6 E. from the 

 city of New York. 



Bedford, a village near the Georgia fide of Savannah 

 river, 4 miles above Angufta. 



Bedford, a county of Pennfy'.vania, lying on Juniatta 

 river, and having part of the ftate of Maryland on the foi.th, 

 and Huntingdon county north and north-eaft. It contains 

 13,124 inhabitants, including 46 (laves ; half of its lands is 

 fettled, and it is divided into nine to-.vnftiips. Bedford, the 

 chief town of this connty, lie; on the louth fide of Rayllown 

 branch of the lame river, 25 miles E. of Berlin, and 210 

 W. of Philadelphia. It is regularly laid out, and has a ftor.e 

 gaol, and a market-houfe, court-houfe, and record-office 

 built of brick. It was incoroorated in 1795. N. lat. 40°. 

 W. long. 7§°5o'. 



Bedford, a county of Virginia, is feparated from that of 

 Amherft on the north by James river, and has Caftipbell on 

 the eaft, Botetourt on the weft, and Franklin county on the 

 fouth. It is 34 miles long, 25 broad, and contains 10,531 

 inhabitants, including 2,754 (laves. Its foil is good, and it 

 is agreeably diverfified with hills and vallies. In fome parts 

 chalk and g^pfum have been difcovered. The chief town 

 is New London. 



Bedford's 3<2y. See Torrikgton lay. 



Bedford, CaJ>.', is more than 80 leagues E. by N. from 

 the weft entrance of Baffin's ftraits, and the S. E. point of 

 James's ifland ; its latitude is more than 68°, and it forms 

 one of the weftern limits of Davis's ftraits. 



Bedford, Cape, is alfo the extreme north eaft point of 

 the coaft of New Holland, opening to the fouth-weft into 

 Endeavour river, in S. lat. 15" 18'. E. long. 145° 15'. The 



fea to the eaft and n^rth is aJmoft ever)- where full of (h3als 

 and reefs. 



Bedford Level, is the name given to a large traft of 

 fenny, boggy land in England, which remained a iteril wafte 

 for many ages. It was calculated to contain 400,000 acres, 

 diftributed through the feveral counties of Cambridge, Hunt- 

 ingdon, Northampton, Lincoln, Noifolk, and" Suffolk. 

 The chief part of this extenfive tract appears, from the va- 

 rious phenomena noticed by difl'erent authors, to have been 

 formerly a dry and cultivated land; but either from injudicious 

 embankments, v/hich prevented ilie waters fro.-n the uplands 

 iftuing at their proper outlets, or from fudden and violent 

 convulfions of nature, it was reduced to the ftate of a morafs; 

 where the waters, ftagnating and becoming putrid, filled the 

 air with noxious exhalations ; and not only dcftroved the 

 health of the inhabitants, but likewife impeded their en- 

 deavours to obtain the neccfTaiies of life ; the connti-y being 

 alnioft rendered impaffable even to boats, by the f^dge, reeds, 

 and (lime with which it was covered. The name given to it 

 originated with Francis earl of Bedford, who havins) large pof- 

 fcflionsinthe f.-ns, moftly granted him by Henry the eighth, 

 upon the diffolution of monafterics, engaged, in conjunc- 

 tion with thirteen other gentlemen, to drain the whole upon 

 the condition of having 95,000 acres in the refult of luceefsful 

 accomplilhment. Thefe terms were acceded to by the com- 

 miliioners and the country at large, and in 1 634 the king 

 granted thefe adventurers a charter of incorporation. In the 

 courfe of three years and a half this Herculean tafk was 

 completed to the fatisfaction of the commiffioners, who, 

 with the king's fnrveyor, fet out the allotted land to the 

 corporation. Above ico,oool. was expended upon this 

 ■work. The knig, and fome perfons devoted to his interelt,. 

 afterwards oppofed the right of the earl of Bedford, and dif- 

 poiTeffed him of his property. Other perfons engaged in 

 the concern, but the civil wars breaking out fruftrated all 

 their fchcmes, and in 1649, William earl of Bedford, the 

 heir and fucccdorof Francs, wasreilored by the convention- 

 parliament, to all the rights of his father. A new aft was 

 obtained to repair the decayed works, and extenfive opera- 

 tions v.'ere adopted. In 1 65 3 the level was adjudged to be 

 fully drained, and after the adventurers had expended 

 400,000!. more, the 95,000 acres were confirmed to them- 

 In 1697 the Bedford level was divided into three diftriCts, 

 called north, middle, and foiith, having one furveyor for each 

 of the former, and two for the latter. This diftribution, in- 

 tended for its better government, proved a caufe of cdnfidtr- 

 able oppofition and contention, and it was many years be- 

 fore the whole was fettled in a fvftematic and equitable man- 

 ner. To purfue the hiftory of thofe litigations, charters, 

 and laws, originating in, and made for this great concern, 

 would lead us into a nairative too extenfive for the limits of 

 our work : we muil therefore refer thofe perfons, defirous of 

 further information, to the " Beauties of England and 

 Wales," vol. ii. and to a work recently publifhed, entitled 

 " An Hiftorieal Account of the Bedford Level," with the 

 laws, &:c. relating to the fame, 8vo. 



That this vaft traft was at fome former period dry habit- 

 able land, is evident from the quantity of trees and variou* 

 other natural and artificial fubftances that have been dug from 

 different depths in various parts of it. Dugdale, in his " Hif- 

 tory of Embanking," ftates that many oak, fir, and other 

 trees, were found in draining the ifle of Axholm. Thefe were 

 at the depths of three, four, and five feet from the furface, 

 lying clofe to the roots, which were in firm earth below the 

 moor. The bodies or boles of the trees appeared to have 

 been burnt afunder (not cut down with faws or axes) as 

 the ends of them being coa/ed do manifeft. The oaks were 



lying 



