About Bewdley in Worcestershire
Bewdley is a town in Worcestershire, England. The River Severn runs through the town, which is situated between Kidderminster and Stourport-on-Severn. The 2001 census recorded a population of 12,078. Bewdley is twinned with Petit-Fort-Philippe in France.
The town's name derives from the Old English words beofor and leah, meaning "beaver stream" or "beaver meadow". Bewdley was first recorded in 985 as a market town. It was then granted a charter by King Henry I in 1153.
The town's market charter was confirmed by King John in 1215. In 1568, Queen Elizabeth I granted a charter of incorporation to the town, which created a corporation consisting of a mayor, six aldermen and twelve capital burgesses. This remained the governing charter until the Municipal Corporations Act 1835.
The town's coat of arms, granted in 1595, is Per fess Sable and Argent a Chevron counterchanged and on a Chief of the second three Mullets of the first. This crest is supported by two Black Bears rampant regardant Argent muzzled Gules. The bears are derived from the arms of Hugh de Bearne, who founded Bewdley Abbey in 1175.
The town's motto is "Bear and Forbear", which means "to endure and to carry on".
