List of mayors of Bedford (England)

The first known reference to a Mayor of Bedford in England was in 1264.

Prior to the Municipal Corporations Act, 1835, the Mayor of Bedford came into office on 29 September. The first Mayor of the reformed Corporation came into office on 1 January 1836, and subsequent Mayors on 9 November. After the Local Government Act, 1948, and the Local Government Act, 1972, the Mayors from 1949 onwards came into office in May. The civic Mayor was replaced by a directly elected Mayor in 2002.

Since April 2009 the Borough of Bedford is a unitary authority, with the executive having the powers and functions of both a non-metropolitan district and a non-metropolitan county.

List of Mayors of Bedford

Civic mayors

Joshua Hawkins - Mayor of Bedford

Alderman George Hurst (1800 - 1898), Mayor of Bedford (1855, 1873-4, 1878 and 1886)

George Wells - Mayor in the 1890s

Source: Bedford Borough Council

• 1393: William Brown, MP for Bedford, 1397
• 1414–15: John Kent, MP for Bedford, 1406
• 1416–17: John Kent
• 1429–30: John Frepurs, MP for Bedford, 1417 and 1427
• 1432–34: Thomas Hunt, MP for Bedford, 1420
• 1437–38: John Frepurs
• 1444–46: John Frepurs
• 1528–29: John Baker, MP for Bedford, 1529
• 1547–48: William Hall, MP for Bedford, 1554
• 1554–55: William Hall
• 1829–30: Sir William Long^[1]
• 1834–35: Dr. George Witt: head of Bedford Infirmary and a Fellow of the Royal Society.^[2]
• 1855–56: George Hurst^[3]
• 1856–57: William Wells Kilpin
• 1857–58: George Handscomb Miller
• 1858–62: John Howard^[4]
• 1862–63: Robert Couchman
• 1863–65: John Howard^[4]
• 1865–67: William Joseph Nash
• 1867–69: Thomas Tokelove Gray
• 1869–70: Augustus Edgar Burch
• 1870–71: John Richard Bull^[5]
• 1871–72: James Coombs
• 1872–73: Frederick Thomas Young
• 1873–75: George Hurst^[3]
• 1875–77: James Thomas Hobson^[6]
• 1877–78: John Usher Taylor
• 1878: George Hurst^[3]
• 1878–79: Thomas Gwyn Empy Elger
• 1879–80: John Elworthy Cutcliffe
• 1880–81: James Thomas Hobson^[6]
• 1881–82: James Woodward Hill
• 1882–83: Luke Cherry
• 1883–85: Joshua Hawkins^[7]
• 1885–86: George Ransom
• 1886–87: George Hurst
• 1887–90: Joshua Hawkins^[7]
• 1891–92: James Coombs
• 1892–93: Frederick Augustus Blaydes
• 1893–95: George Wells^[8]
• 1895–96: Frederick Augustus Blaydes
• 1896–99: George Wells
• 2000–01: Hazel Mary Mitchell
• 2001–02: Pat Olney
• 2002: Judith Cunningham

Directly elected mayors

• 2002–09: Frank Branston (died in office)
• 2009–: Dave Hodgson

References

1. ↑ Painting of Sir William Long, James Lonsdale (died 1839), BBC, retrieved July 2014
2. ↑ Thomas, Laura (25 May 2000). "Restricted to men of 'taste and education'". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 painting, BBC, retrieved July 2014
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 John Howard painting, by unknown, retrieved 26 July 2014
5. ↑ Painting, unknown artist, retrieved July 2014
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 painting of James Thomas Hobson, unknown artist, retrieved July 2014
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Painting of Joshua Hawkins, Joseph Carrier, BBC, retrieved 26 July 2014
8. ↑ George Wells - Mayor, Joseph Carrier, BBC, retrieved 26 July 2014