Joshua Hawkins

Mayor Bedford: 1883, 1884, 1887-1890

Joshua Hawkins was the part-owner of the Bedfordshire Times, of which his son became editor. He was Mayor when Bedford Park, Duck Mill Meadow and the Suspension Bridge (built by subscription) were opened, and the foundation-stone of the voluntary Fire Brigade Station was laid, all in one year. He used to give a dinner to the aged poor on New Year’s Day.

The portrait is by a local man named Carrier