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DOWN YOUR WAY


Bedford


A town with a rich and diverse history that boasts pockets of picturesque beauty.


Standing astride the banks of the River Great Ouse the town, as we see it today, occupies the site of an early settlement whose position was determined by the course of the Ouse.


by Alan Humphreys T


he name Bedford derives from the Saxon chief, Beda, who founded a settlement at a fordable point of the Ouse during the 8th century. Sanding astride the banks of the River Great Ouse the town, as we see it today, occupies the site of an early settlement whose position was determined by the course of the Ouse. The name Bedford derives from the Saxon chief, Beda, who founded a settlement at a fordable point of the Ouse during the 8th century.


The importance of Bedford since early times as a trading centre is told by the network of main roads, not only approaching the town but within the built-up area, and the coins issued there in the 10th and 11th centuries. At the close of the 11th century or early in the 12th century


continued on page 12


Bedford Castle was built on the north side of the river and occupied a far larger space than the present remains would suggest following its destruction after the siege of Bedford in 1224.


As the town developed along lines still recognisable today St. Paul’s Church formed a natural centre for the town as a trading centre and it was from the Church Square in the 13th century that a market place was adorned. However we would need to jump a few centuries to the first thirty years of the 19th century to witness the beginning of the rapid development of Bedford. Trade at this time included the manufacture of straw plait and thread lace, together with a river trade in grains, timber and coal and by the middle of the century the manufacture of agricultural implements and breweries figured strongly.


10 County Life


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