Earl of Bedford is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England

Peerage of England

The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain....

. The first creation came in 1138 in favour Hugh de Beaumont

Hugh de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Bedford

Hugh de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Bedford was Earl of Bedford from 1137 to 1141. The grant of the earldom was by Stephen of England; this was the first of his numerous creations. Hugh was known as 'Hugh the Pauper' or 'Hugh the Poor'....

. He appears to have been degraded from the title three or four years after its creation. However, the existence of the title altogether has been doubted. It is discussed by R. H. C. Davis on the basis of the chronicle evidence. The second creation came in 1366 in favour of the French nobleman Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy. After Richard II

Richard II of England

Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...

 came to the throne in 1377, Bedford resigned the title to the Crown. The third creation came in 1550 in favour of John Russell, 1st Baron Russell

John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford

John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford, KG, PC, JP was an English royal minister in the Tudor era. He served variously as Lord High Admiral and Lord Privy Seal....

. For more information on this creation, see Duke of Bedford

Duke of Bedford

thumb|right|240px|William Russell, 1st Duke of BedfordDuke of Bedford is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 in favour of Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of France. He was made Earl of Kendal at the same time...

 (1694 creation).

Earls of Bedford; Second Creation (1366)

• Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy, 1st Earl of Bedford (1340–1397)