A bearing assembly is disclosed which addresses the problem of axially retaining a bearing journaled onto a shaft within a casing in an axially compact and technically economic and reliable way by first mounting a retaining plate (6) onto an outer race of the bearing (1). The mounting can be achieved by press fitting onto a shoulder so that the retaining plate can rotate relative to the outer race. The bearing is then journaled onto a shaft (4) and inserted into a compact casing (3) so that the outer race is guided into a housing (2) formed in an end wall of the casing (3). The retaining plate can then be rotated as required to align fastening bosses (7) with holes (8) to be engaged by screws (9) so that the retaining plate us urged axially against the outer race.