BEDFORDSHIRE, a midland co. of England, bounded n.e, by Huntingdon; c. by Cambridge; s.e. and s. by Hertford; s.w. and w. by Buckingham; and n.w. by North ampton. It stands 37th of the 40 English counties in size, and 37th also in popu lation. Extreme length, 31 in.: breadth, 25. Area, 463 sq.m., five sixths being arable, meadow, and pasture lands. The general surface is level, with gentle undulations. In the s., a range of chalk-hills, branching from the Chilterns, crosses B. in a n.e. direction from Dunstable, and another parallel range runs from Ampthill to near the junction of the lvel with the Ouse. Between the latter ridge and the n.w. part of the county, where the land is also somewhat hilly, lies the corn vale of Bedford. No hill in B. much exceeds 900 ft. in height. The chief rivers are the Ouse (running through the center of the county, 17 in. in a direct line, but 45 by its windings), navigable to Bedford; and its tributary, the lvel, navigable to Shefford. By these rivers, B. communicates with the counties of Cambridge, Huntingdon, and Norfolk. The a, and s.e. parts of the county consist of chalk, and the n. and n.w. of oolitic strata. Freestone is quarried, as well as chalk or clench, to be burnt for lime. The soil varies greatly. In the s. 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 lye] 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 n. tile clay is stiff, poor, and wet. There are extensive market-gardens. especially on the rich deep loams. The chief crops are wheat, beans, and barley. The total acreage of 13. under all kinds of crops, bare fallow, and grass, for the year 1876, was 256,567; of wheat, 46,767; barley or bere, 34,164; oats. 11,611; rye, 466; beans, 16,036; peas, 6376; total under corn crops, 115,426. B. is the most, exclusively agricultural county in England. The principal proprietors are the duke of Bedford, the marquises of Tavistock and Bute, earl de Grey, lords Holland, Carteret, and St. John. Lace-making and straw-plaiting—for which Dunstable is celebrated—are the only branches of industry practiced to' any extent, and they are carried on almost entirely by women. B. is divided into 9 and contains 10 market-towns, 124 parishes, and 6 poor-law unions. Pop. '71, 146,257. Two members of parliament are returned for the county of B., and two for the town of Bedford. Many British and Roman antiquities exist in B., as well as the ruins of several monasteries, and some fine relies of Anglo-Saxon, early English, and Norman architecture among the parish churches. Three Roman ways once crossed the county, and several earthwork camps still remain.