ARMS: Quarterly Or and Gules a Fess wavy barry way of four Argent and Azure surmounted by a Pale Sable charged with three Escallops of the third.
CREST: On a Wreath of the Colours issuant from from a Wreath of Oak Or a Swan's Head and Neck proper.
SUPPORTERS: On the dexter side a Lion Gules and on the sinister side a Bull Or.

Motto 'CONSTANT BE'.
Granted 12th April 1951.

Picture used with permission, do not reproduce.

The gold and red quarters derive from the arms of the Beauchamps, Constables of Bedford Castle, the leading family in the County after the Norman Conquest. The Beauchamp of 1215 was one of the promoters of Magna Carta, and their last male was killed at Evesham in 1265. The waves refer to the River Ouse, and the shells are from the arms of the Russells, Dukes of Bedford and commemorate their services to the State, the County and the Council.
The swan's head is a further reference to the Ouse.
The red lion derives from a similar supporter of the Russell arms, and the bull refers to the importance of agriculture in the County.
The motto is taken from the words of the hymn: "Who would true valour see, let him come hither, One here will constant be, come wind, come weather" by the famous Bedfordshire man ,John Bunyan.

ARMS 1: Per pale Argent and Gules a Fesse Azure.
ARMS 2: Argent an Eagle displayed wings inverted and head turned towards the sinister Sable ducally crowned and surmounted by a Castle of three tiers Or.

Recorded at Visitations on 7th June 1566 and in 1634. Exemplified to the North Bedfordshire Borough Council (later renamed Bedford Borough Council) by the Kings of Arms on the 30th December 1977 following a Royal Warrant dated 29th Aprl 1977.

The Borough of Bedford was formed by the amalgamation of the former Borough of Bedford, the Kempston Urban District and the Bedford Rural District.

Bedford uses both shields, the upper arms are the proper arms, the lower arms are often used as a badge. The arms with the eagle are used more widely however. There is much conjecture about the origin of both arms.
The upper arms may be derived from a banner, the right may be derived from the arms of the last member of the Beauchamp family, Lords of Bedford, who was killed in 1265. Another theory is that they are intended to suggest a town divided north and south by the highway, east and west by the river.
The castle on the eagle is taken from the oldest known seal of Bedford, dating from the 15th century. The second seal also showed the castle, but flanked by two salamanders. It also dates from the 14th century. The eagle and castle appear on the seals in 1836. The last male of the Beauchamps of Bedford, who held the barony and castle and was killed at the Battle of Evesham in 1265, is said to have borne a shield with an eagle, unlike the rest of the family, and since the barony then fell into abeyance between his daughters, the town may have adopted the eagle to remind themselves that they had no overlord. Mr Gale Pedrick, in Borough Seals, states: 'the eagle is derived from the bearings of the Beauchamps, the ancient Barons of Bedford, namely, argent, an eagle sable, beak and claws or.' But the arms of the Beauchamps of Bedford were gold and red quarters with a black bend. It seems that the designer of the fifteenth-century seal on which the arms of Bedford were based may have incorporated the eagle of another family of Beauchamps or it may be the eagle of the last of the Beauchamps mentioned above. The castle is probably intended to represent the old stronghold of the Beauchamps.
Both coats of arms are used without either crest, motto or supporters.

ARMS: Quarterly Or and Gules a single-arched Bridge throughout Argent masoned Sable the keystone charged with an Ear of Wheat proper the whole between in chief two Celestial Crowns and in base a Lily Plant of three flowers counterchanged.
CREST: On a Wreath of the Colours a Water Ouzel displayed proper perched upon two Cog-Wheels Or each issuant from a Mural Crown Argent.

Motto 'BY TRUTH AND DILIGENCE'.
Granted 5th January 1966, to the Leighton-Linslade Urban District Council.

Picture used with permission, do not reproduce.

The towns of Leighton Buzzard and Linslade were amalgamated in 1966. The gold and red quarters are taken from the arms of Bedfordshire and the Beauchamp family. Leighton Buzzard originally was situated in Bedfordshire, Linslade in Buckinghamshire. The Beauchamp family received the manoralty of Linslade in 1068 from William the Conqueror. The colours thus stand for both former councils. The two crowns are a symbol for the parish of All Saints in Leighton Buzzard and the lilies for the parish of St. Mary in Linslade. The bridge represents the bridge over the river Ouzel, which connects both towns. The ear of wheat on the bridge refers to the produce of the agricultural land in Buckinghamshire carried over the bridge to the market in Leighton Buzzard.
The two cog wheels symbolise local industry, and in particular the Lancer Boss Group, the donors of the Arms. The water ouzel symbolises the River Ouzel, which formerly seperated the two towns but is now shown as joining them together. The mural crowns are common symbols of civic government. The motto is derived from that of the de Lucy family, Lords of Linslade in the 15th and 16th centuries.

ARMS: Quarterly Gules and Azure on a Cross Argent between a Garb in the first quarter a Bee-hive in the second a Rose slipped and leaved in the third and a thistle also slipped and leaved in the fourth all proper a Bee volant of the last.
CREST: On a Wreath of the Colours upon a Mount Vert a Cubit Arm in bend vested Azure cuff Argent the hand proper holding seven Ears of Wheat Or.

Granted 25th July 1876. Transferred by Order in Council made 21st May 1974. Exemplified 25th November 1974.

The bee is the emblem of industry, and the hive represents in particular the straw-plaiting industry for which Luton became famous. The wheatsheaf represents agriculture and the excellent supply of wheaten straw. The straw-plaiting industry was started locally by a colony of straw plaiters who followed James I from Scotland, and settled under the protection of Sir Robert Napier of Luton Hoo. The arms of the Napier family contain a rose, and it is likely that the rose in the arms bears reference to the patron of the straw plaiters, while the thistle denotes the country whence they came. An alternative theory is that the rose was incorporated as a national emblem, and the thistle was taken to indicate the connection of the Borough for a long period with the Marquess of Bute, who formerly owned the Manor of Luton Hoo.
The seven ears of wheat held by the hand carry on the motive of the wheatsheaf, but they may also allude to John Whethamsteade, Abbot of St. Albans, who in the fifteenth century rebuilt the chancel of St. Mary's Church, Luton, where his arms, three bunches of ears of wheat, may still be seen.

ARMS: Or a Pile Gules over all a single-arched Bridge throughout Argent masoned Sable the keystone charged with an Ear of Wheat between on the Pile the Sickles proper all within a Bordure engrailed Sable.
CREST: On a Wreath of the Colours out of a Mural Crown Argent masoned Sable in front of a demi-Bull three Cog-Wheels in fesse Or.
BADGE: Upon a Roundel embattled Gules irradiated with Rays of the Sun a demi-Bull rampant couped Or.

Motto 'BY TRUTH AND DILIGENCE'.
Granted 27th November 1975.

The South Bedfordshire District was formed by the amalgamation of the Borough of Dunstable, the Leighton-Linslade Urban District and Watford Rural District.

The gold and red background gives the liveries of the Beauchamps, ancient Earls of Bedford and prominent in the Leighton-Linslade area's early history, whose gold and red quarters are the basis of the arms of the County Council and the Leighton-Linslade UDC. The triangle or "pile" is taken from the ancient Arms of Dunstable Priory, which adopted at an early stage by the Borough of Dunstable, became corrupted into the later device of a conical ale-warmer. The pile, and the black engrailed border from this device, thus represent Dunstable. The three sickles are from the arms of the Luton RDC and the bridge charged with an ear of wheat, is also from the the Leighton-Linslade shield.
The white mural crown and cog-wheels, like those in the Leighton-Linslade crest, are common civic and industrial emblems, a third cog-wheel has been added for Dunstable. The gold bull is derived from the supporter of the County arms and the bull's head crest of Luton RDC.
The motto is that of Leighton-Linslade UDC.