it was under these circumstances of great pressure that the mural oratory in ihc keep was employed as a prison.
In the king's circular to the sheriff, 1 Ed. II., 1307, 15th Dec, which was followed by the edict confiscating the goods of the Templars, the sheriff of Surrey and Sussex was ordered to repair to Guildford. In 15 Ed. 11., Oliver de Burdegala, governor, had a writ of privy seal directing the castle to be victualled and garrisoned.
Guildford, 2 Ed. III.. 1328, was the head-quarters of the sheriff of Surrey, who was ordered to go there to prevent tournaments from being held. On the 8th March, 1329, the king was at Guildford; also 28th Feb. and 26th Dec. 1330; 18th—20th Nov. 1331; 2d Sept. 1334; and 18th—24th April, 1336, so that the castle was in not infrequent use as a royal residence. In this last year the king granted the town in fee farm to the corporation, reserving only the park and castle. On the 23d April, 1337, 11 Ed. III., the king ordered that Robert d'Artoys should have a right to be hospitably received, should he visit the royal castles of Guildford, Wallingford, or Somerton, and he might sport in the park at Guildford.
In the same year, 24th Dec, Edward was himself at Guildford, as he was in 1340, and again 27th—28th Dec 1347, in which year the commonalty of Sussex petitioned that Chichester, in place of Guildford, might be the county gaol. The petition was set aside, and in 41 Ed. III. the sheriff still held his official residence in the castle, which was the prison, as before, for the two counties. 42 Ed. III. 1368, 28th July, the king was here. 43 Ed. III. the custody of the castle and park was given to Helmyng Legatte for life. Edward was again here, 45 Ed. III. 1371, on the 12th of May, probably for the last time.
In 1 Richard II., Sir Simon Burley was constable of the castle, and afterwards Sir Hugh Waterton, on whose death, 10 H. IV., Sir John Stanley had the office also for life, and his appointment was confirmed by Henry V. By that time the custody of the park was evidently an office more coveted than that of the castle
What occurred in the castle during the wars of York and Lancaster is not known, save that it was the scene of no event of importance, and it certainly continued still to play the ignoble part of a common prison, for in 3 H. VII. 1487,
