Bedfordshire Day in England Date in the current year: November 28, 2024

Bedfordshire is a historic county and a ceremonial county in the East of England. Its first actual mention dates back to the early 11th century, when the shire was pillaged by Canute the Great’s forces. There was no organized resistance to the Norman conquest within Bedfordshire, but the county suffered severely in the Anarchy (a civil war between 1125 and 1153) and the First Barons’ War.

Between the Anglo-Saxon period and the early 19th century, Bedfordshire consisted of nine hundreds (administrative divisions) and the borough of Bedford. Until 1574, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire shared a sheriff, whose shire court was held at Bedford. During the 19th and 20th century, the county went through several administrative reforms; finally, in 2009, it was divided into three unitary authorities – the Borough of Bedford, the Borough of Luton, and Central Bedfordshire.

Until the late 19th century, Bedfordshire was predominantly an agricultural country. The situation has changed since then though; today, a number of notable companies have either headquarters or major bases in Bedfordshire, including Autoglass, Boxclever, Charles Wells Pubs, EasyJet, Impellam, Jordans Cereals, Kier Group, Kingspan Timber Solutions, Moto Hospitality, TUI Airways, UltraVision, Vauxhall Motors, and Whitebread (including Costa Coffee). The fourth-largest airport serving the London area, London Luton Airport, is also located in Bedfordshire.

The celebration of Bedfordshire Day was initiated by the Friends of Bedfordshire Society. Its date was chosen by a public vote. The most popular date turned out to be the birth anniversary of John Bunyan, an English author and Puritan preacher who is considered to be one of the most famous Bedfordshire natives.

John Bunyan was born on November 28, 1628 in Elstow. He was given some schooling and learned the ropes of his father’s trade of tinkering, but instead of carrying on with the family business, Bunyan joined the Parliamentary army around his 16th birthday. After the English Civil War, he got married, became a Nonconformist (a Protestant who didn’t conform to the governance and usages of the Church of England), and began to preach.

After the restoration of the Stuart monarchy, Bunyan was arrested and sentenced to 12 years in jail because of his religious beliefs and refusal to give up preaching. While in prison, he wrote his most famous work entitled The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature.

The main goal of Bedfordshire Day is to celebrate the history, culture and community of Bedfordshire. It is marked with various cultural events held throughout the county. They are organized by the Friends of Bedfordshire Society and other cultural organizations.