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The Silver Penny, used as the County Emblem, represents the obverse side of the penny piece struck in the reign of Edward the Elder (899-925). It is his name, in Saxon, which it bears: Eadvveard Rex. This brave son of Alfred the Great, with his equally brave sister, Aethelflaeda, widow of Aethelred of Mercia, undertook to rid the East of England of the Danes, who had seized the area from his father and ruled it as the Danelagh. By the treaty made between Alfred and Gunthrum, the Dane, the latter held all of England, East of a line running from the Thames, up the River Lea to its source at Leagrave and, from there, straight to Bedanford, along the River Ouse and so to Watling Street. Therefore most of Bedford lay in the Danish zone and formed a bridge-head on the Ouse. Edward's plan was to make certain strong bases and to strike from these at the enemy's frontier posts and bridge-heads. To this end he constructed ' strong points' along Watling Street and the border of the Danelagh while his sister, the Lady of Mercia, did the same further North. In 919, when Edward was nearing Bedford, the leader of the Danish garrison, the Yarl Thurkitel, sensing that the native Saxons were preparing to go over to their own people, became a quisling. With others, he approached the King secretly and offered to admit him to Bedford without a struggle. Consequently, on November 10th, Edward entered Bedford and occupied it. As he did not trust the quislings, yet did not wish to send them back to the Danes, he shipped them off to France. In the following weeks he prepared Bedford against a counter-attack. He erected fortifications (the tower of St. Peter's Church was possibly a part of these fortifications) and dug a deep moat and earthwork on the South side of the Old Danish suburb of Mikesgate. This moat, known later as the 'King's ditch', can still be seen. It is narrower and shallower, and bereft of its earth wall, but above it remain the last vestiges of Edward's earthworks, commemorating to this day the bravery, military genius and perseverance of the brave son and daughter of Alfred the Great. A well-known writer of English history describes Aethelflaeda as 'one of the few warrior women of the world' The Silver Penny was first used as the County Guide Emblem in 1921, one thousand years after Edward the Elder had defeated the Danes and driven them out of Bedfordshire back towards the Wash.
The Original County Standard
The Bedfordshire County Standard was made by the Cambridge Tapestry Company in 1932 and it appeared for the first time at the Jamborally in Ampthill Park at Whitsun, 1933 when it was dedicated by the Bishop of St. Albans. The cost of the design was five guineas, the materials and embroidery £26.
The Arms those of Bedford, the wavy lines are the River Ouse and the silver circles the Guide County badge. The lace bobbins represent an old Bedfordshire industry.
Bedfordshire's new County Standard was Dedicated on, 20th March 2004.
It was commissioned as after 72 years of service the previous standard was showing signns of wear and tear. The history of how it was made is shown below.
Searching for the fabric proved quite a challenge, but eventually we found what was wanted in Lincolnshire. All the other materials were bought in London, or locally.
Between the hoist and the motto band the fabric is guide blue, and the first emblem is the current guide badge, made in gold leather, a gift from a sandal maker in Milton Keynes, and outlined with gold cording.
Next to the guide badge comes the county badge, also in leather, from the same source and outlined with silver cord. The badge is based on an old coin found in the Castle Mound, when it was excavated in 1910, the year Guiding started in Bedfordshire. This accounts for the rough circular shape, since it would have been hand cut from silver. The inscription reads Edward Rex, Edward the confessor, and the cross in the outer circle should always be at the bottom.
The Motto Band is in gold fabric, with Be Prepared on the front, and Bedfordshire on the back. The letters were machine stitched on vilene, then applied to the band with buttonhole stitch. Each letter took about an hour and a half to apply.
The Fly is in green fabric to represent the agricultural industry in Bedfordshire and also the parks and recreational areas. Mounted on the Fly are the various symbols chosen to represent our County. The blue wavy band with silver cording represents all the rivers and canals within the County.
The three lace bobbins worked on each side with their spangles represent the lace industry in Bedfordshire, both past and present. They are also a link with the previous standard, signifying that although things change, the fundamentals remain, and we are not forgetting the past.
The white lion recognises the famous chalk lion carved into the hillside of Dunstable Downs, and represents the tourist industry, as well as reminding us specifically of Whipsnade Zoo.
The windmills represent the countryside, and in particular the Windmill at Stevington, a well known attraction, frequently visited by units staying at Mollivers.
The appliqué is of the now famous stained glass window of John Bunyan, for he and Bedfordshire are so closely linked. The background was painted with dyes and we are grateful to the Bunyan meeting for permission to use the window on our standard and they were delighted to have a preview when it was finished.
The narrow boat, in blue and white, represents the canal which runs through the County, nowadays used for tourism and leisure, but of course in the past a transport highway between London and the Midlands.
The aeroplanes represent all our Airports, Luton, Old Warden, Cardington and Cranfield.
The pieced border is blue and gold It was quite a challenge when it came to the curved sections on the fly, but with the aid of many shaped pattern pieces, it was finally achieved..
Many people joined in with the opportunities given to "put a stitch in it" and we have a record of their names. Pearl Lawson Johnson was one of these, forming a living link with the previous standard, since her mother was a major embroiderer when it was made in 1932.
The final assembly was achieved on schedule, but a final consultation with our textile consultant was necessary to smooth away a few final, but major headaches. We all rejoice that such a major challenge has been achieved by so many pairs of hands, and we have handed our work over for use, hopefully for the next 70 years or more.
