THE CirURCn OF ST. MARY, GUILDFORD. Hy J. n. PARKKR. CD. This cluircli is an extremely curious and interesting one, from the early character of its original portion, and the manner in ^Yllicll it has been enlarged and altered at various ])criods ; so that it contains specimens of every style of the arcliitecture of England in the Middle Ages. The docu- mentary evidence relating to it is very slight, but the church ^vas built very near to the castle, and under its protection. A considerable grant of land here ^Yas given to the family of Testard, by Wilham the Conrpieror.* It is probable that they either originally built the church for the use of their tenants, or rebuilt the old Saxon church, mIucIi had been of wood, according to the usual custom of that age. At the time of the Domesday Survey there were in OuiMford, 75 tenements, larja', in which livc<l 17.> men, each of whom may be consi<lered to represent a family of five, which gives a population of 875 persons at that time tenants of the Crown. Such a population would be certain to have a church, and the church would be either in the outer bailey of the castle — as was very usual at that time — or so near to the wall of tin; castle as to be safe undci- its protection. In the same maimer, S. Thomas' Church, at O.xford, was built close to, and under the jtrotcction of, the castle of HOylc}', and there are many other instances. We have notices in the Patent Rolls of two rectors of this church — one in the second year of I'Mward III., the other in the sixteenth (»f luchard II. — and (In re is wnik in the church that may be of botli ol these periods. As usual in our j)ai'isli ehurclies, wo liavo to depend on the construction of the fal)ric itself, and iIk- architectural details for the history, which we (jbtain on tin- princijde of coni|)arisou wiili well- ' In A.f). l'i!71', "til I'.ilw.ir^l I., tin' |">Nj«'Hj.ii.n ,u< LhhIm f^r.iiitrd liy illi.mi I. ^fan^>r of l'<.yli< or I'iiill<i(') wan h<'l<l liy to llio faiiiily of TiMUrd. WalUr«l.' In. I'liill.-, nml lin<I •••'■ ' ■-
