He was born in Bromley but lived most of his life near Dartford, where he was a wealthy farmer and grazier.
[2] His obituary in Lloyd's Evening Post dated 10 June 1768 said that he was "formerly accounted the most expert cricket player in England".
[2][3] Rowland Bowen wrote that Bedle was "the first in a long line that must include Fuller Pilch, W. G. Grace, Jack Hobbs and Wally Hammond".
[4][5] Few details of cricket matches from the early 18th centuries have survived, and so what is known about Bedle's career has been pieced together by historical analysis; contemporary newspaper reports rarely mentioned a player by name, with the emphasis often on betting rather than on matches.
[5] His name, also spelled Beddel, is recorded on a tablet in Dartford parish church listing the bellringers of 1749.