Rectory Lane Cemetery, Berkhamsted

Husband of Sarah Jane Bedford, father of Albert (buried here),  and father of Harvey, George and Frank (buried in adjacent plot).

Edward Harvey Bedford (always known as ‘Harvey’) was the illegitimate son of Sophia Dennett (nee Bedford, daughter of Jonathon Bedford of Water Side). She was 18, probably a servant at the time as Harvey’s birthplace was recorded as Stanmore and the father was Harvey Steen, a Gamekeeper, but by 1861 she was living with her husband William Dennett in Provident Place, off Holliday Street (and now demolished.)

By 1871 Harvey had left school and was working as a Farm Servant, though still living at home. In that year, George Batchelor of Berkhamsted was fined 19s 6d. for assaulting Harvey on the evening of 13th September ‘ The complainant, a youth, and defendant and his boy were returning from Mr Cutler’s harvest home, and the two lads got larking with one another, and Bedford having pushed Batchelor, junior, the father, thinking it was more than in fun, struck Bedford across his back with a stick, causing a weal – Batchelor said he had had a little too much to drink, or he should not have done it.’

In 1878, by then 22 and working as a Coachman, Harvey married Sarah Munn at the Parish Church of Holy Trinity, in Greys Inn Road; in 1880 their first son Edward Harvey was born in Little Gaddesden; the following year they were living in Highfield Road. George was born in 1883, Albert followed in1885, Florence in 1887, Frank in 1890. and Fred in 1895.

Harvey had clearly begun to build up a strawdealing business, acquiring horses and carts. By 1885 he was supplying waggons and carts to transport children forming the Juvenile Branch of the Church of England Temperance Society on their annual holiday outing on 3rd July to the Monument at Ashridge (the party numbered 200). His vehicles would continue to be used in connection with large gatherings up to the time of his death. In 1901, his four-horse brake transported twenty of the Baptist Church Choir to Princes Risborough Station for a day out in Oxford. One of the most dramatic occasions must have been for the Mafeking celebrations in 1900, when an effigy of Paul Kruger was processed in ‘a Victoria in charge of Mr Harvey Bedford, the closing scene being the burning of the “His Honour” in front of the Crown Hotel by the Fire Brigade, who, having reduced the figure to ashes, turned on the hose and put out the opposite element.’ He also charitably took the immates of the workhouse for a drive in the country each year– up to the end of his life – in 1903 shortly after that year’s outing he was ‘lying seriously ill at his residence in Castle-Street’, and died within four days of the report.

Harvey’s stock-in-trade as a ‘carrier, carter and livery stable proprietor 1904 was then put up for sale and consisted of:

• 12 cart and carriage horses
• 21 carts and waggons
• Long shaft & 2 timber carriages
• 15 sets of thill harness

Victorias, dog carts, waggonnettes, new large four-in-hand brake, broughams, sets of four-in-hand, Double and Single harness, 7 fat pigs, Berkshire sow and 7 pigs

In 1888, one of Harvey’s employees, John Winfield, was killed at the Railway Station. John Andrews, a carter, had been employed to find horses and drivers for conveying furniture, and he had hired two horses of Harvey Bedford. Members of the Winfield family continued to work for Bedford, however, for in 1892 ‘a collision occurred opposite Dudswell-lane, between a break of Mr Harvey Bedford’s, Berkhamsted, driven by a young man named Winfield, with a pair of horses, and containing a party of people, and a cart belonging to Mr. Alison, of Tring, a corn dealer, whose man was returning from Watford with his wife and her mother.’

Clearly Harvey was diversifying his business. In 1890, (a particularly busy year) his plan for a corrugated iron shed was passed. He supplied seven horses to move one of Costin’s boats (50’ long by 10’ wide) from Castle Wharf to the Goods Yard, ‘from whence it was sent to Ely’. He clearly worked closely with Costin (his employees joining those of Mr Costin and Mr Barker for a holiday outing in September to Ward’s Coombe) for in the same year there was a ‘stand-off’ between one of Costin’s  canal boats under Harvey’s charge, and a boat, laden with straw bearing the name of Mr. Marshalsay of Wendover, the boats getting stuck in the Raven’s Lane lock. More than 50 boats were delayed on both sides, and in court Harvey was fined 16s 6d for ‘navigating his boat rudder foremost’. In the same year he was sued for non-payment of rent for Castle Wharf but escaped a fine when the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals charged him for causing horses to be worked in an unfit state. Another fatal accident occurred, this time involving George Allison. Harvey ‘said on Saturday, June 21st., he met a party at Berkhamsted station, and he and Mr Allison drove them to the Monument. On passing Harvey, Allison said ‘Pull up at the public door at the station’ to which Harvey replied “Right you are” and then ‘Mr Allison must have pulled the wrong rein. His wheel no doubt ran on the bank, and on his pulling the other rein sharp, the trap must have turned over and broke in two’. The horse bolted and dragged Allison with him.

By 1891 Harvey was described as a Carrier and Carman, and was renting fields presumably for their straw crop and purchasing hay ricks to provide bedding and feed for his horses. He had also become a Freemason. He had taken over George Lingard’s property at 62 Castle Street, and there were 4 children at that time living there – Edward, Albert, Florence and Frank.

In 1892, Harvey was charged ‘with keeping a dog without a licence’. The licence supervisor said Harvey ‘was waited on March 17, April 16 and May 2, besides being met in the street once, and on May 30 he took out a licence after proceedings had been commenced. Harvey however argued that he ‘always paid for the dog with his other licences. He had not commenced to use his traps then, and he produced the receipts for the three last years…’ and the case was dismissed.

In 1900, three boys ‘Arthur Dealey, Fred Dealey and Harvey Rance, boys, of Berkhampstead, were charged with stealing from the Wharf, at that place, on Oct. 2, nine dozen boxes of matches. Charles Bedford, son of Mr Harvey Bedford, said a packing case full of matches was left on the Wharf on Monday, Oct 2. He left the case safe at night. Mr Harvey Bedford, agent for a firm of carriers, said he saw the box in question wrenched open, and many boxes of matches were missing. A crowbar was lying near. Rance was brought to him that evening with two boxes of matches, and he said he was with the other boys who were as bad as himself. Mrs Oakings, living close to the Wharf, said she heard a noise on the Wharf, and looking out, saw two or three boys who at once ran off. P.S. Hewett …apprehended the three boys. Arthur Dealey said he only took two boxes. Afterwards all three said they took some matches, and Rance said they got a crowbar from Mr. East’s yard and broke open the cases…Arthur Dealey was sent to prison for 21 days, and the other two boys ordered to receive eight strokes with the birch rod.

Two years later another three boys, Albert King (15), William Rance (14) and Frank R. Tomblin (11) pleaded not guilty ‘with doing damage to a timber carriage on April 21st. Inspector Martin said on the day in question he saw the boys playing with a carriage the property of Harvey Bedford. King, who was drawing the cart along, dropped the shafts. Lawrence was knocking the front with a piece of wood and Tomblin was also doing damage. Harvey Bedford gave evidence as to the damage costing about 10s to repair. The bench ordered the defendant Rance to pay the costs and damage 6s 4d and the other two defendants to pay 10s. inclusive.