Literate
From Dr Audrey Tate, 18 Feb 2010:
Father of Lady Stephen nee Bedford (1811-1886), wife of the Chief Justice of New South Wales, Sir Alfred Stephen.
Bedford was second chaplain to Van Dieman's Land (now Tasmania), and, according to the Australian Dictionary of Biography, was ordained priest by the bishop of London in August 1821. He arrived in Hobart Town with his wife and three children in 1823. Little is known of his early London life other than that he is 'reputed' to have been a staymaker, was interested in prison work by Elizabeth Fry, became an ordinary at Newgate and assisted in several parishes in London's East End. In spite of diligent research I have been unable to locate specific dates or places for any of this.