Bedford Level, flat marshy dist., on the E. coast of England, comprising the greater part (703 sq. m.) of what is called the Fens -- the whole of Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, 89 sq. m. in Huntingdonshire, 98½ in Norfolk, 12½ in Northamptonshire, 47 in Suffolk and SE. part of Lincolnsh. Extreme length from N. to S., 60 m.; breadth, 40 m. Two cuts or canals, the Bedford Rivers Old and New, have been constructed from the borders of Huntingdonshire through the Isle of Ely to confluence with river Stoke; the New river is 100 ft. wide, the Old 70 ft.; and these are both navigable for upwards of 20 miles. Much of the land has been reclaimed at vast expense; and grain, flax, and coleseed are raised in considerable quantities. Wild fowl abound, and are caught in great numbers for the London market.

(John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887))