A HISTORY OF SURREY 



itself in Guildford by the expulsion of Thomas Smal- 

 pece from the corporation for his ' contempt and dis- 

 ordered behaviour ' (Court Monday after Michaelmas, 

 3 Jas. I). His offence, we learn from a letter at 

 Loseley, was ' going about to set up ' a maypole. The 

 corporation was severe against foreigners trading in 

 the town ; in 1521 they were excluded altogether 

 from the markets, except victuallers, graziers, and 

 sellers of oats at the discretion of the mayor. At 

 the same time clothiers were forbidden to send any 

 wool to be spun into yarn within 8 miles of 

 Guildford unless under a bond that it should be 

 brought back to be woven in Guildford. The number 

 of ' approved freemen ' subsequently dwindled, and 

 in 1654 was only 159, but others were admitted to 

 trade in the markets on payment. The token coinage 

 in Guildford is of the dates 165* to 1669 and 1765 

 to 1 797. The latter issue often has a wool-pack on 

 it, though the wool trade of Guildford was long 

 dead. 913 



There seems to be no definite mention of town 

 officials before the I4th century. In 1368 the 

 election is noted of a seneschal, two farthing men, a 

 clerk, two butlers (pincernae), who superintended the 

 arrangements for the feast, and two hall wardens. 92 

 The earlier charters (q.v.) are directed to the good 

 men of the town. The style of incorporation in 

 1488 was the 'mayor and good men,' 95 but the 

 name mayor had probably superseded that of sene- 

 schal long before. The government of the unreformed 

 corporation was entrusted to a steward, mayor, 

 recorder, two justices, bailiff, two coroners, town clerk, 

 hall warden, two serjeants-at-mace, and a beadle. 9 * 



The property of the corporation in 1834 con- 

 sisted of the old town hall with a dwelling-place 

 attached, a new market house or court house with a 

 small garden and stable, tolls and fines, sundry small 

 quit-rents and other payments, with the appoint- 

 ment of the master of the grammar school. 95 



A court of pie-powder was held at Guildford in 

 the Middle Ages at the time of the fair. 96 A court of 

 record was held every third Monday, but was much 

 fallen into disuse in 1835." 



The borough was represented by two members in 

 the Parliament of I295. 98 There is no record of 

 members for 1299, but with one or two other 

 exceptions it was constantly represented by two 

 members. In 1654 and 1656, in the reformed 

 Parliaments elected under the Instrument of Govern- 

 ment, Guildford had one member. The franchise 

 till 1832 was in the freemen and the freeholders 

 paying scot and lot, if resident. These did not 

 number more than 150 in the 1 9th century. In 

 1 867, by the Redistribution Act of that year, the 

 number of its representatives was reduced to one." 

 By the Act of 1885 the borough became for the first 

 time part of the county for electoral purposes. 



A fair in Guildford was granted by Edward III in 

 1340 to be he'.d during five days, beginning on the 

 eve of Trinity.' 00 Some seven years later the date 

 was changed to Whitsuntide, owing to the fact that 

 the men of Guildford did not derive so much profit 

 as they ought, because so many neighbouring fairs 

 were held at Trinity. 101 This fair is now held on 

 4 May, and is for cattle ; another, also for cattle, is 

 held on 2 2 November, both formerly in North Street, 

 but now in the new market. 



The markets 1M used to be held in the High Street, 

 and the parts to be occupied by various dealers are 

 clearly defined in the corporation orders of Elizabeth's 

 time. Thence they were removed to North Street, 

 except the corn market, which was held in a building 

 in the High Street, built in i8i8. 103 A new cattle 

 market was built in 1896 off the Woodbridge Road. 

 The cattle market is on Tuesdays, the vegetable 

 market, in the same place, on Saturdays. The corn 

 market, also held on Tuesdays, was removed to the 

 same neighbourhood in 1902. One-third of the 

 tolls of Guildford, according to the custom of English 

 boroughs, was the right of the Earls of Surrey and 

 continuously passed to them. 104 The other two- 

 thirds belonged first to the Crown and then to 

 the borough, but many people, including the Bishop 

 of Salisbury, 1 " and the Archbishop of Canter- 

 bury and the Prior of Christchurch, 106 claimed to be 

 free of them. In 1835 the mayor farmed the 

 tolls of the town for the annual payment of I5O. 107 

 They were declared to produce from 1 70 to zoo. lM 

 The manor of GUILDFORD was 

 MANORS Crown property at the time of the 

 Conquest 109 and throughout the Middle 

 Ages. 110 It was assigned as dower to Eleanor mother 

 of Edward I, 1 " and also to his second wife 

 Margaret. 1 " The grant of the vill at fee farm to the 



ELEANOR of Provence. 



Or four fates gales. 



MARGARET of France. 

 Azure powdered with 

 ficurt de lit or. 



'probi homines' in 1369 evidently included the 

 manor. The park was however reserved and is 

 treated under Arlington (q.v.). 



The manor of POTLE in Guildford is said to have 

 originated in a grant of land made by William the 

 Conqueror to Robert Testard. 11 * 1 Robert Testard's 



911 Boyne, Tokens ; Williamson's Coll.; 

 see also Surr. Arch. Coll. iii ; R. Whit- 

 bourne, Surrey Mints ; and G. C. 

 Williamson, Trade Tokens of Surrey, x. 



M Gross, Gild Merchant, ii, 97. The 

 seneschal was the custodian of the town 

 charters ; ibid. 101. 



93 Conf. R. 19-23 Eliz. pt. i, no. 7. 



M Parl. Pafert (1835), xxvi. See under 

 Guildford. w Ibid. 



''Chan. Inq. p.m. 40 Edw. Ill (ist 

 nos.), no. 59. 



" Part. Pafers (1835), xxvi, Guildford. 



"Ibid. (1878), Ixii. 



"30 & 31 Viet. cap. 102. 



" Chart. R. 14 Edw. Ill, no. I. 



101 Ibid. 20 Edw. Ill, no. 7. 



toa A market is mentioned in 1276. 

 See Chan. Inq. p.m. 4 Edw. I, no. 90. 



108 The corn market was under the old 

 market house, which stood across the 

 street. This was pulled down in 1683, 

 and the market was held under the pre- 

 sent town hall till 1818. 



1M See Dorking and Reigate, which 

 were part of the earl's possessions. 



562 



105 Plac. de Quo Warr. (Rec. Com.), 741. 



106 Chan. Inq. p.m. 4 Edw. I, no. 90. 

 WPar/. Pafert, Ref. on Munic. Corf. 



(1835), xrvi, 2871 et seq. IM Ibid. 



>V.C,H. Surr. 1,295. 



110 Cat. Pat. 1272-81, p. 71; 1292- 

 1301, p. 342, &c. 



111 Ibid. 1292-1301, p. 452. 

 lla Pat, 27 Edw. I, m. 4. 



u Testa de Nevill (Rec. Com.), 225 ; 

 and see V.C.H. Surr. i, 295 for houses in 

 Guildford held separately from the body 

 of the place. 



