The Parish of Defford and Besford lies in the Avon Valley, just to the north of the River Avon in the south of the County of Worcestershire.
Defford and Besford Parish Council was set up in 1894 and minutes and papers for the period 1894 to 1972 can be accessed at Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service. Since this time two principal Acts of Parliament have increased the general powers of parish councils, and removed onerous constraints; the Local Government Act 1972 and the Localism Act 2011.
As of the 2011 census, Defford had a population of 571 and Besford 147.
