Bedford [Map]

Bedford is in Bedfordshire.

917 Battle of Tempsford

1010 Battle of Ringmere

1328 Roger Mortimer created Earl of March

Battle of Tempsford

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 917. This year, before Easter, King Edward (age 43) ordered his men to go to the town of Towcester [Map], and to rebuild it. Then again, after that, in the same year, during the gang-days, he ordered the town of Wigmore [Map] to be repaired. The same summer, betwixt Lammas and midsummer, the army broke their parole from Northampton and from Leicester; and went thence northward to Towcester, and fought against the town all day, and thought that they should break into it; but the people that were therein defended it, till more aid came to them; and the enemy then abandoned the town, and went away. Then again, very soon after this, they went out at night for plunder, and came upon men unaware, and seized not a little, both in men and cattle, betwixt Burnham-wood and Aylesbury. At the same time went the army from Huntington and East-Anglia, and constructed that work at Ternsford [Map] which they inhabited and fortified; and abandoned the other at Huntingdon [Map]; and thought that they should thence oft with war and contention recover a good deal of this land. Thence they advanced till they came to Bedford [Map]; where the men who were within came out against them, and fought with them, and put them to flight, and slew a good number of them. Then again, after this, a great army yet collected itself from East-Anglia and from Mercia, and went to the town of Wigmore, Herefordshire [Map]; which they besieged without, and fought against long in the day; and took the cattle about it; but the men defended the town, who were within; and the enemy left the town, and went away. After this, the same summer, a large force collected itself in King Edward's dominions, from the nighest towns that could go thither, and went to Temsford [Map]; and they beset the town, and fought thereon; until they broke into it, and slew the king, and Earl Toglos, and Earl Mann his son, and his brother, and all them that were therein, and who were resolved to defend it; and they took the others, and all that was therein. After this, a great force collected soon in harvest, from Kent, from Surrey, from Essex, and everywhere from the nighest towns; and went to Colchester [Map], and beset the town, and fought thereon till they took it, and slew all the people, and seized all that was therein; except those men who escaped therefrom over the wall. After this again, this same harvest, a great army collected itself from East-Anglia, both of the land-forces and of the pirates, which they had enticed to their assistance, and thought that they should wreak their vengeance. They went to Maldon [Map], and beset the town, and fought thereon, until more aid came to the townsmen from without to help. The enemy then abandoned the town, and went from it. And the men went after, out of the town, and also those that came from without to their aid; and put the army to flight, and slew many hundreds of them, both of the pirates and of the others. Soon after this, the same harvest, went King Edward (age 43) with the West-Saxon army to Passham [Map]; and sat there the while that men fortified the town of Towcester [Map] with a stone wall. And there returned to him Earl Thurferth, and the captains, and all the army that belonged to Northampton northward to the Welland, and sought him for their lord and protector. When this division of the army went home, then went another out, and marched to the town of Huntingdon; and repaired and renewed it, where it was broken down before, by command of King Edward (age 43). And all the people of the country that were left submitted to King Edward (age 43), and sought his peace and protection. After this, the same year, before Martinmas, went King Edward (age 43) with the West-Saxon army to Colchester [Map]; and repaired and renewed the town, where it was broken down before. And much people turned to him, both in East-Anglia and in Essex, that were before under the power of the Danes. And all the army in East-Anglia swore union with him; that they would all that he would, and would protect all that he protected, either by sea or land. And the army that belonged to Cambridge chose him separately for their lord and protector, and confirmed the same with oaths, as he had advised. This year King Edward (age 43) repaired the town of Gladmouth; and the same year King Sihtric slew Neil his brother.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 919. This year King Edward (age 45) went with his army to Bedford [Map], before Martinmas, and conquered the town; and almost all the burgesses, who obeyed him before, returned to him; and he sat there four weeks, and ordered the town to be repaired on the south side of the water, ere he departed thence.

Battle of Ringmere

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 1010. This year came the aforesaid army, after Easter, into East Anglia; and went up at Ipswich, Suffolk [Map], marching continually till they came where they understood Ulfcytel was with his army. This was on the day called the first of the Ascension of our Lord. The East-Angles soon fled. Cambridgeshire stood firm against them. There was slain Athelstan, the king's relative, and Oswy, and his son, and Wulfric, son of Leofwin, and Edwy, brother of Efy, and many other good thanes, and a multitude of the people. Thurkytel Myrehead first began the flight; and the Danes remained masters of the field of slaughter. There were they horsed; and afterwards took possession of East-Anglia, where they plundered and burned three months; and then proceeded further into the wild fens, slaying both men and cattle, and burning throughout the fens. Thetford, Norfolk [Map] also they burned, and Cambridge [Map]; and afterwards went back southward into the Thames; and the horsemen rode towards the ships. Then went they west-ward into Oxfordshire, and thence to Buckinghamshire, and so along the Ouse till they came to Bedford [Map], and so forth to Temsford, always burning as they went. Then returned they to their ships with their spoil, which they apportioned to the ships. When the king's army should have gone out to meet them as they went up, then went they home; and when they were in the east, then was the army detained in the west; and when they were in the south, then was the army in the north. Then all the privy council were summoned before the king (age 44), to consult how they might defend this country. But, whatever was advised, it stood not a month; and at length there was not a chief that would collect an army, but each fled as he could: no shire, moreover, would stand by another. Before the feast-day of St. Andrew came the enemy to Northampton, Northamptonshire [Map], and soon burned the town, and took as much spoil thereabout as they would; and then returned over the Thames into Wessex, and so by Cannings-marsh, burning all the way. When they had gone as far as they would, then came they by midwinter to their ships.

Around 1115 Hugh Beauchamp (age 75) died at Bedford [Map].

In 1130 Matilda Adeliza Taillebois (age 86) died at Bedford [Map].

Roger Mortimer created Earl of March

Froissart. 17 Mar 1328. And also they delivered to them again the black cross of Scotland, the which the good king Edward conquered and brought it out of the abbey of Scone [Map], the which was a precious relic; and all rights and interests that every baron had in Scotland was then clean forgiven. And many other things were done at that parliament to the great hurt and prejudice of the realm of England, and in manner against the wills of all the nobles of the realm, save only of Isabel (age 33) the old queen and the bishop of Ely and the lord Mortimer (age 40): they ruled the realm in such wise, that every man was miscontent. So that the earl Henry of Lancaster (age 47) and sir Thomas Brotherton (age 27), earl marshal, and sir Edmund of Woodstock (age 26), the king's uncle, and divers other lords and commons were agreed together to amend these faults, if they might. And in that meantime the queen Isabel (age 33) and sir Roger Mortimer (age 40) caused another parliament to be holden at Salisbury, at the which parliament sir Roger Mortimer (age 40) was made earl of March against all the barons' wills of England, in prejudice of king and his realm, and sir John of Eltham (age 11) the king's brother was made earl of Cornwall. To the which parliament the earl Henry of Lancaster (age 47) would not come, wherefore the king was brought in belief that he would have destroyed his person; for the which they assembled a great host and went toward Bedford [Map], whereas the earl Henry (age 47) was with his company.

On 14 Feb 1389 John Beauchamp (age 59) died at Bedford [Map].

On 18 Aug 1562 John Mordaunt 1st Baron Mordaunt (age 82) died at Bedford [Map]. His son John Mordaunt 2nd Baron Mordaunt (age 54) succeeded 2nd Baron Mordaunt.

In 1581 John Puckering (age 37) was elected MP Bedford.

In 1601 Thomas Fanshawe (age 21) was elected to MP Bedford.

In 1606 Christopher Hatton of Clay Hall in Essex (age 27) was elected MP Bedford.

In 1660 Humphrey Winch 1st Baronet (age 37) was elected MP Bedford.

In May 1661 John Kelyng (age 53) was elected MP Bedford.

In 1768 Samuel Whitbread (age 47) was elected MP Bedford.

Europe, British Isles, England, Home Counties, Bedfordshire, Bedford Abbey [Map]

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 970. This year died Archbishop Oskytel; who was first consecrated diocesan bishop at Dorchester, and afterwards it was by the consent of King Edred and all his council that he was consecrated Archbishop of York. He was bishop two and twenty winters; and he died on Alhallow-mas night, ten nights before Martinmas, at Thame. Abbot Thurkytel, his relative, carried the bishop's body to Bedford [Map], because he was the abbot there at that time.

Around 971 Bedford Abbey [Map] was a short lived Benedictine Monastery whose Abbot was Abbot Thurkytel; its only known Abbot.

Europe, British Isles, England, Home Counties, Bedfordshire, Keysoe Bedford

On 11 Oct 1545 Henry Alexander St John was born to Alexander St John (age 48) at Keysoe Bedford.

On 14 Jan 1575 Oliver St John was born to Henry Alexander St John (age 29) at Keysoe Bedford.

On 28 Jun 1598 Henry Alexander St John (age 52) died at Keysoe Bedford.

On 23 Mar 1626 Oliver St John (age 51) died at Keysoe Bedford.