The titles of
Earl or
Duke of Bedford (named after
Bedford, England) were created several times in the Peerage of
England. It was first created for
Enguerrand VII de Coucy, son-in-law of
King Edward III, in the
14th century. Later, a Dukedom of Bedford was created for
King Henry IV's third son,
John, who later served as regent of France. It was created again in
1470 for
George Nevill, nephew of
Warwick the Kingmaker, and again in
1485 for
Jasper Tudor, uncle of
King Henry VII.
The Russell family currently holds the titles of Earl and Duke of Bedford. John Russell, a close advisor of
Henry VIII and
Edward VI, was granted the title of
Earl of Bedford in
1551, and his descendant William, 5th Earl, was created Duke following the
Glorious Revolution.
The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Bedford, all in the
Peerage of England, are:
Marquess of Tavistock (created
1694), Earl of Bedford (
1550), Baron Russell, of Cheneys (
1539), Baron Russell of Thornhaugh in the County of Northampton (
1603) and
Baron Howland of Streatham in the County of Surrey (
1695) (and possibly the
Barony of Bedford, which was merged into it in
1138, 1366 or
1414). The
courtesy title of the Duke of Bedford's eldest son and heir is
Marquess of Tavistock.
The family seat is
Woburn Abbey near
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.
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