A HISTORY OF SURREY 



the town a weekly market on Wednesdays," thus 

 forgoing her own right as lady of the manor to the 

 market granted by Edward I. She also granted them 

 an annual fair to last three days, beginning on the eve of 

 Candlemas Day, which did not interfere, however, 

 with her own manorial fair held in June. 34 The 

 warden was to collect the tolls of market and fair for 

 the maintenance of the town. The queen herself 

 appointed the first warden, John Perrior," to hold 

 office till the following Michaelmas, at which time a 

 warden was to be nominated by the chief inhabitants 

 of the town in the presence of the other inhabitants, 

 and then elected by the majority. In the follow- 

 ing reign ordinances were drawn up ' for the better 

 order and government of the town,' S6 directing that 

 there should be eight assistants chosen from such 



GODALMING : OLD BRICK HOUSES (see p, 



inhabitants as had borne office as bailiff, constable, 

 or tithingman, to be elected for life by the warden 

 and inhabitants, a warden chosen by the majority of 

 the assistants from their own number, and a bailiff 

 elected yearly from those who were capable of being 

 constable or tithingmen. The warden and assistants 

 had power to levy assessments on the householders, 

 more especially for the repair of the town clock, 

 and opposition to them might be punished by dis- 

 franchisement. 



The present extent of the borough of Godalming 

 dates from November 1 894." 



Before its incorporation by Elizabeth there were 

 no traces of any institutions which might indicate the 

 existence of a borough. During the lordship of the 

 Bishops of Salisbury, Godalming was merely a market 



town with an annual 

 fair held by the bishop 

 under a royal grant of 

 1 300." In the Nomina 

 Villarum of 1315 it is 

 not distinguished as a 

 borough. Constantly in 

 the Hundred Rolls per- 

 sons are presented for 

 carrying on trades out- 

 side Godalming because 

 in so doing they are 

 extra villam mercatoriam.. 

 They seem to have been 

 content with fines time 

 after time, especially for 

 the privilege of dress- 

 ing leather where they 

 pleased. In 1563 God- 

 aiming was constituted a 

 market town by statute. 39 * 

 The great industry in. 

 the 1 6th century was in 

 woollen stuffs. The trade 

 was in decay in the I /th 

 century. 40 Shortly after 

 the ordinances of James I 

 the townspeople were in. 

 great distress, for in 1 630 

 they were suffering from 

 want of a market for their 

 manufactuies, chiefly 

 Hampshire kersey s, 41 

 whilst a few years before 

 they had been obliged to 

 postpone their fair for 

 fear of the plague, 41 but 

 were nevertheless visited 

 by the dread sickness in 

 1 636-7." The present 

 industries are tanning 

 (Westbrook) and paper- 

 ma k i n g (Catteshull). 

 There are also flour-mills 



88 In 1674. the day of the market 

 was changed from Wednesday to Friday, 

 but had returned to Wednesday by the 

 19th century. Col. S.P. Dam. 1673-5, 



P- 95- 



w See Chart R. 28 Edw. I, m. 6 ; Add. 

 MS, 6167, fol. 167 ; Parl. Papers, 1835, 

 'v, 735 t >eq. 



85 See f.C.H. Surr. ii, 346-7, and Surr. 

 Arch. Coll. xix. 



86 See Parl. Pafers, 1835, xxiv, 735. 



*> Under Loc. Govt. Bd. Orders 

 Confirm. Act (No. n), 9 Nov. 1892. 



88 Chart. R. 28 Edw I, m. 6, no. 24. 

 It may be this grant which gave rise to 

 the tradition that the town had a royal 

 charter in 1300 ; cf. Parl. Pafers, 1835, 



30 



xxiv, 735. The market-day recited was 

 Monday, and the fair was held on the 

 eve, dny, and morrow of St. Peter and 

 St. Paul. 



89 5 Eliz. cap. 4, sec. 44. 



40 V.C.H. Surr. ii, 342. 



41 Cat. S.P. Dam. 1629-31, p. 391.: 

 Ibid. 1625-6, p. 45. 



"Ibid. 1636-7, p. 353. 



