Bedford, town, North Bedfordshire Borough, administrative center of Bedfordshire, central England, on the Ouse River. Bedford is a market town for the surrounding agricultural area; its manufactures include motor-vehicle parts, agricultural implements, and electrical equipment. The town is known as an educational center, with four schools now operated by the Harpur Trust, an endowment established in 1556 by Sir William Harpur, who was born here. Of note are the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery and the John Bunyan Meeting House (1850), which commemorates the 17th-century writer and preacher John Bunyan, who was born nearby. In 571 Bedford was the scene of a Saxon victory over the Britons. The town was burned by the Danes in 1010 and later became a Danish borough. In the 1660s and '70s John Bunyan was imprisoned in the Bedford town jail. Population (1996 estimate) 137,451.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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