Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the Bedford borough. According to Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town of Kempston. The wider borough, including a rural area, had a population of 153,000.
Bedford was a market town for the surrounding agricultural region from the early Middle Ages. It traces its borough charter in 1166 by Henry II and elected two members to the unreformed House of Commons. It had a castle, razed in 1224.