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Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It lies in the south of the wider Borough of Bedford, of which it is the administrative centre. The Bedford Built-up Area – which includes Kempston, Elstow and Biddenham – forms the 69th largest Urban Area in England and Wales with a population of 106,940. The wider borough, including a rural area, had a population of 157,479.〔http://www.bedford.gov.uk/council_and_democracy/statistics_and_census/2011_census.aspx〕 Bedford had a population of 81,635 in 2011.〔http://ukcensusdata.com〕 Bedford was founded at a ford on the River Great Ouse, and is thought to have been the burial place of Offa of Mercia. Bedford Castle was built by Henry I, although it was destroyed in 1224. Bedford was granted borough status in 1165 and has been represented in Parliament since 1265. Bedford is included in the Bedford parliamentary constituency, which includes Kempston and is represented by Richard Fuller. Bedford is well known for its large population of Italian descent. It also has an increasingly large south Asian population, especially Punjabis, and is home to the largest Sikh Gurdwara in the UK outside London. Bedford is the northern terminus of the Thameslink railway line that runs to London and Brighton. ==History== The name of the town is thought to derive from the name of a Saxon chief called Beda,〔(【引用サイトリンク】 url=http://www.bedford.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/local_history_and_heritage/brief_history_of_bedford.aspx )〕 and a ford crossing the River Great Ouse. Bedford was a market town for the surrounding agricultural region from the early Middle Ages The Anglo-Saxon King Offa of Mercia was buried in the town in 796.〔Simon Keynes, "Cynethryth", in Lapidge, ''Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England'', p. 133.〕 In 886 it became a boundary town separating Wessex and Danelaw.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 url=http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/webingres/bedfordshire/vlib/0.digitised_resources/bedford_digitisation_timeline_early.htm )〕 It was the seat of the Barony of Bedford. In 919 Edward the Elder built the town's first known fortress, on the south side of the River Great Ouse and there received the area's submission. This fortress was destroyed by the Danes. William II gave the barony of Bedford to Paine de Beauchamp who built a new, strong castle. The new Bedford Castle was razed in 1224 and today only a mound remains. Bedford traces its borough charter in 1166 by Henry II〔(【引用サイトリンク】 url=http://www.bedford.gov.uk/Default.aspx/Web/BriefHistoryofBedford )〕 and elected two members to the unreformed House of Commons. Bedford remained a small agricultural town, with wool being an important industry in the area for much of the Middle Ages. From the 16th century Bedford and much of Bedfordshire became one of the main centres of England's lace industry, and lace continued to be an important industry in Bedford until the early 20th century. The River Great Ouse became navigable as far as Bedford in 1689. Wool declined in importance with brewing becoming a major industry in the town. In 1660 John Bunyan was imprisoned for 12 years in Bedford Gaol. It was here that he wrote ''The Pilgrim's Progress''. The 19th century saw Bedford transform into an important engineering hub. In 1832 gas lighting was introduced, and the railway reached Bedford in 1846. The first corn exchange was built 1849,〔(【引用サイトリンク】 url=http://www.bedfordcornexchange.co.uk/ )〕 and the first drains and sewers were dug in 1864.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 url=http://www.bedfordshire.gov.uk/CommunityAndLiving/ArchivesAndRecordOffice/GuidesToCollections/BedfordBoroughRecordsIntroduction.aspx )〕 File:Bedford - John Speed's map (1611).jpg|Bedford in 1611 File:Bedford Bridge from Antiquities of England by (1783) by Francis Grose.jpg|Bedford Bridge in 1783. This version of the bridge was replaced in 1813. File:Bedford engraved by J.Roper after G.Cole published 1806.jpg|Bedford in 1806 File:BedfordCastleNight.jpg|Bedford Castle Hill 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bedford」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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