Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, England. It is the administrative centre for the Bedford borough. The town has a population of 82,488, with 19,440 in the adjacent town of Kempston. The wider borough, including a rural area, has a population of 147,911. more...
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Bedford was a market town for the surrounding agricultural region from the early Middle Ages. It traces its borough charter in 1166 by Henry II and elected two members to the unreformed House of Commons. It had a castle, razed in 1224.
Notable Bedfordians
It was the home and prison of John Bunyan, the author of the Pilgrim's Progress. Prison Reformer John Howard, although born in London, was high Sheriff of Bedfordshire.
Other prominent Bedfordians include:
William Fitzhugh, also known as William the Immigrant, founder of an American dynasty that married into the lines of George Washington and General Lee;
William Hale White, a minor Victorian novelist who wrote under the pseudonym, Mark Rutherford;
Harold Abrahams, 1924 Olympic 100 metres champion and character in the film Chariots of Fire;
Tim Foster, men's coxless fours Olympic gold medallist;
Paula Radcliffe, the UK's top female long-distance runner and current world record holder for the women's marathon;
Charles Wells, founder of Charles Wells Brewery, still located in the town.;
Gail Emms badminton doubles 2004 Olympic silver medallist;
Ronnie Barker, the late comedian;
Al Murray, actor, also known as The Pub Landlord;
Matt Skelton, heavyweight boxer;
Andy Johnson, England and Everton F.C. footballer;
Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards, ski-jumping legend;
Apsley Cherry-Garrard, Antarctic explorer;
Education
Bedford is home to five public schools run by the Harpur Trust charity, endowed by Bedfordian Sir William Harpur in the sixteenth century. These are:
Bedford School for boys aged 7-18;
Bedford Modern School, a former boys' school which became co-educational in 2003 for pupils aged 7-18;
Bedford High School for girls aged 7-18;
Dame Alice Harpur School for girls aged 7-18;
Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School.;
Another significant private junior school is Polam School, from where most pupils go on to study at one of the four Harpur Trust 7-18 schools or occassionally Kimbolton School in nearby Cambridgeshire. Smaller private institutions are Rushmoor School (boys aged 3-16, girls 3-11) and St. Andrews School (girls aged 3-16, boys 3-9), neither of which are part of the Harpur Trust.
It is also home to several signficant state upper schools, of which Biddenham Upper and, the nearby, Sharnbrook Upper School and Community College are of particular merit. Upper schools are linked with a network of Lower and middle schools providing education up to age 13.
Bedford hosts a campus of the University of Bedfordshire, which prior to 2006 was a campus of De Montfort University which is now just based in Leicester.
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