A Roman fording station and a Saxon town (cemetery of Kempston), it was recaptured by the Anglo-Saxon sovereign Edward the Elder (ruled 899–924) from the Danes in 914. The name of the town is believed to derive from the name of a Saxon chief called Beda, and a ford crossing the River Great Ouse. Howard House, belonging to the prison reformer John Howard, is near the Howard Congregational Church, which he helped to found in 1772. This article was most recently revised and updated by, Fact Monster - World - Bedford, England, United Kingdom. The public library contains the Mott-Harrison collection of Bunyan’s works as well as other old books and pamphlets. This interesting name is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is an English locational surname from the county town of Bedfordshire or from Bedford a village in Lancashire. 8% of Bedford men worked as a General Labourer and 65% of Bedford women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Jordan de Bedeford, which was dated 1273, in the "Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. BY. Discover the meanings of your name and their origin on a map. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Jordan de Bedeford, which was dated 1273, in the "Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Bedford, city, Bedford unitary authority, historic county of Bedfordshire, England, in the fertile valley of the River Ouse. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling. The town served as the county seat of Westchester County during the American Revolutionary War after the Battle of White Plains, until Bedford was burned by the British in July 1779. A Roman fording station and a Saxon town (cemetery of Kempston), it was recaptured by the Anglo-Saxon sovereign Edward the Elder (ruled 899–924) from the Danes in 914. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.57% of the population. It was the seat of the Stepping Stones - Historic Home of Bill & Lois Wilson (respective cofounders of Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon Family Groups, Bedford Village Historic District, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, Palmer-Lewis Estate and The Woodpile are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[11]. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure. Aylesbury was Aegel's burh or burgh. The median age was 37 years. The Mianus River runs throughout the town of Bedford. The newspaper began publishing in 1995. Bedford Name Meaning English: habitational name from the county seat of Bedfordshire, or a smaller place of the same name in Lancashire. All rights reserved. In England this was known as Poll Tax. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males. Simply start with a family member and we'll do the searching for you.