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Bedfont Through The Ages
The material on the page is based on notes taken during a talk by Andrea Cameron on 23 July 2001, plus some additional research by Robert Ingham.
It will take some time before the entire article is available. Please be patient.
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Early Days
Neolithic (before 2400 BC) remains have been found in West Bedfont, although none so far in East Bedfont. However no archeological work has been done near the church and Green area in recent times.
Recent excavations on the site of Heathrow Terminal 5 (reported July 2003) indicate settlements there during the Bronze Age (2400 BC to 700BC), Iron Age (700BC to 43AD) and Roman (43AD to c.400AD) periods. These suggest, but do not prove, that people would also have been living in and around Bedfont during those periods.
Early on in the Roman period in Britain a road was built to link their settlements at Brentford and Staines, both at crossing points for the River Thames. The current A315 and A30 roads follow the line of that Roman road quite closely.
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Saxon and Norman Bedfont
According to the 1086 Domesday Survey, the manors of Bedfont, Hatton and Stanmore were all held by William fitz Other. It is very likely that all 3 villages/hamlets existed in the Saxon (pre-1066) period. Like most of the surrounding area, Bedfont was included in the "Hundred of Spelethorne". The name Bedfont is probably Saxon, and the 'font' part most likely indicates a spring.
The oldest part of Bedfont's parish church, St. Mary's, date from about 1150. It is quite common that early Norman stone churches were built to replace wooden buildings from before the Conquest. If this is the case with Bedfont, it is possible that the Saxon church was built on the site of a pagan sanctuary, which might be ascribed to the Saxon goddess Freya who was worshipped in clearings in woods. Alternatively, if the spring was known during the pre-Roman period, that may have been venerated by the local Celto-British people.
Baber Bridge, which crosses the River Crane at the eastern edge of the parish, replaced an earlier structure dating from about 1200. The Warren of Staines - the woods - were being cleared for farming settlements, thus creating Hounslow Heath.
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Medieval Bedfont
Bedfont seems to have had a very uneventful existence during the medieval period. Despite being on the main road from London to Exeter, it does not appear in the lists of battles fought in the warfare that occurred during the anarchic reign of King Stephen (1135-1154), the Barons' Wars (1215-1217 and 1264-1267), nor during the "Wars of the Roses" (1455-1485). Nor was it devastated by the "Black Death" (1347-1355).
Perhaps that which disturbed Bedfont most during this period would have been the water-powered gunpowder mills established on Hounslow Heath by the time of the Battle of Crecy (1346), which would have exploded from time to time.
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New Rivers, More Industry
The channel now known as the "Duke of Northumberland's River" which crosses Bedfont from north-west to south-east was almost certainly first dug during the early 16th century to supply water taken from the River Colne to a mill (probably for grinding corn) in Isleworth. Its original name may have been "Isleworth Mill Stream", but it has also been known as "The Cut" and "Old River".
The northern part of the course was changed in 1579 because the water was being intercepted by the millers of Longford. The river acquired its current name after 1766 when the earldom of Northumberland (held by the Percy family for centuries) was elevated to the status of a duchy. The family had owned Syon Park (and probably the river) since 1597.
The second channel, now known as the "Longford River", enters Bedfont next to the "Duke's River", but turns to the south and passes under the Staines Road. It was built in 1638 on the orders of King Charles I to increase water supply to Hampton Court. It has had various names over the years - "Hampton Court Canal", "New River", "Cardinal's River", "King's River", "Queen's River".
The "Old River" was the source of power for several industrial undertakings at the east end of the parish, particularly the gunpowder mills and the Hounslow Sword Factory licenced by Charles I around 1630. It moved first to Abingdon during the Civil War (1642-49), then to Germany, before returning after the Restoration (1660) until 1672. Gunnersbury Park Museum contains some fine examples.
The water-powered gunpowder mills continued in use until 1926 - remains can be seen in Donkey Woods. The need for water power even in the Age of Steam should be self-evident. Despite this, they continued to explode at intervals, killing and maiming the workers. The building design took account of this tendency with a weak roof but strong lower structure upon which rebuilding could be done.
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Coaches and Turnpikes
 The London to Exeter road went through Bedfont. By the end of the 17th century the state of roads in England was so poor that it took 5 days to complete the journey.
The roads were greatly improved by the "Turnpike Trusts", who maintained a section of road, charging tolls to its users. In 1754 the Bedfont Turnpike (or toll booth) was set up on the western edge of the parish, with the next most easterly being in Hounslow.
The road was "macadamised" - layers of successively smaller stones being laid which compacted together with use, and so produced a resiliant surface. The Staines Road through Bedfont remained un-tarred until 1919, however.
This greatly improved journey times. London to Exeter (179 miles) by stage-coach required only 2 overnight stays, and the mail-coach took 25 hours (in 1790). Several inns in Bedfont profited from this trade, particularly "The Bell".
One hazard of coach travel was highwaymen, especially on secluded sections of road, such as through Hounslow Heath. The executed bodies of the less successful were hung in chains at points along the road to discourage others. It is very unlikely that Dick Turpin operated near Bedfont, however - his area was north of London.
The age of the stage-coach and mail-coach ended when the network of railways was constructed in the 1830s and 1840s (the Waterloo to Staines railway opened in 1848), and the roads were used mostly for more local traffic for many years.
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