So sang of him the poet of the Seasons, Thomson, in his famous apostrophe to Britannia as the land of liberty.

One of the first Acts of King William III. after the Revolution, was to reverse the attainder of Lord Russell.  In the preamble of this Bill, which was the second that passed in his reign, after receiving the Royal assent, his execution was called a murder:  and in November of the same year, 1689, the House of Commons appointed a committee “to inquire who were the advisers and promoters of the murder of Lord Russell.”  In the year 1694 his father was created Marquis of Tavistock and Duke of Bedford.  The reasons for bestowing these honours were stated in the preamble of the patent in these terms:  “And this, not the least, that he was the father of Lord Russell, the ornament of his age, whose great merits it was not enough to transmit by history to posterity, but they (the King and Queen) were willing to record them in their royal patent, to remain in the family as a monument consecrated to his consummate virtue, whose name could never be forgot, so long as men preserved any esteem for sanctity of manners, greatness of mind, and a love of their country, constant even to death.  Therefore, to solace his excellent father for so great a loss, to celebrate the memory of so noble a son, and to excite his worthy grandson, the heir of such mighty hopes, more cheerfully to emulate and follow the example of his illustrious father, they entailed this high dignity upon the Earl and his posterity.”

The first Duke of Bedford (fifth Earl) lived till September, 1700.  He had six sons and three daughters, besides the martyred son.  William, married to the daughter of the Earl of Southampton.  They had one son, Wriothesley, who succeeded his grandfather as Duke of Bedford in 1700, and died of small-pox, in 1711, in the 31st year of his age.  Of two daughters, the elder married William Lord Cavendish, afterwards Duke of Devonshire, and the second married John Manners, Lord Ross, afterwards Duke of Rutland.  A third daughter died unmarried.

A striking anecdote is recorded of King James II. addressing himself in the time of his extremity, in 1688, to the aged Earl of Bedford, saying, “My Lord, you are an honest man, have great credit in the State, and can do me signal service.”  “Ah, sir,” replied the Earl, “I am old and feeble, I can do you but little service; but I had a son once that could have assisted you, but he is no more.”  James was so struck with this reply, that he could not speak for some minutes, and it is to be hoped that he felt remorse for the death of Lord Russell.

When the attainder on Russell was removed by King William III., the same justice was done to his friend Algernon Sidney, who is united with him in the famous lines of Thomson’s patriotic remembrance: 

                               “With him
     His friend the British Cassius, fearless lad,
     Of high determined spirit, roughly brave,
     By ancient learning to the enlightened love
     Of ancient freedom warmed.”