The county was named in honor of John Russell, an English statesman and fourth Duke of Bedford.

Bedford County is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area.

At the time of European encounter, mostly Siouan-speaking tribes lived in this area.

[4] Later in 1756, a portion of Albemarle County lying south of the James River was added.

The county is named for John Russell, the fourth Duke of Bedford, who was a Secretary of State of Great Britain.

The town of Bedford became an independent city in 1968, and remained the county seat.

20.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

It voted for segregationist third-party candidate George Wallace for president in 1968.

Some of these unincorporated areas have mailing addresses in Bedford town and Lynchburg.