Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire, a midland county of England, surrounded by Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, Herts, Bucks, and Northamptonshire. It stands 37th of the 40 English counties in size, and 36th in population. Extreme length, 31 miles; breadth, 25; area, 461 sq. m. The general surface is level, with gentle undulations. In the south, a range of chalk-hills, branching from the Chilterns, crosses Bedfordshire in a north-east direction from Dunstable, and another parallel range runs from Amphill to near the junction of the Ivel with the Ouse. Between the latter ridge and the north-west part of the county, where the land is also somewhat hilly, lies the corn vale of Bedford. No hill in Bedfordshire much exceeds 500 feet in height. The chief rivers are the Ouse (running through the centre of the county, 17 miles in a direct line, but 45 by its windings), navigable to Bedford; and its tributary, the Ivel, navigable to Shefford. By these rivers Bedfordshire communicates with the counties of Cambridge, Huntingdon, and Norfolk. The south and south-east parts of the county consist of chalk, and the north and north-west of oolitic strata. Freestone is quarried, as well as chalk or clunch, to be burnt for lime. The soil varies greatly. In the south of the county it is chalk thinly covered with earth, and fit only for sheep-walks; but three-fourths of the county is clay, which is very stiff between the Ivel and Ouse. A rich gravelly loam exists along the rivers. In the vale of Bedford the soil is chiefly rich clay and deep loam; and to the north the clay is stiff, poor, and wet. There are extensive market-gardens, especially on the rich deep loams. Bedfordshire is the most exclusively agricultural county in England, its cultivated area being 88.1 per cent., against 79.3 for the whole kingdom. Pop. (1801) 63,393; (1881) 149,473; (1891) 160,709. The principal proprietor is the Duke of Bedford; and his seat, Woburn Abbey, is the chief mansion. Lace-making and straw-plaiting—for which Dunstable is celebrated—are leading industries, and they are carried on almost entirely by women. Bedfordshire is divided into nine hundreds and 122 parishes. Two members of parliament are returned for the county of Bedfordshire, one for the Biggleswade, and one for the Luton division. Many British and Roman antiquities exist in the county, as well as the ruins of several monasteries, and some fine relics of Romanesque and Gothic architecture among the parish churches. Three Roman roads crossed the county, and several earthwork camps remain.