Editing Guildford (section)

===Governance===
In [[Domesday Book]] of 1086, Guildford appears as ''Gildeford'' and is divided into seven parts, all of which were the property of [[William the Conqueror|William I]]. Two of the areas were held by [[reeve (England)|reeves]] and four were held by [[land tenure|lesser tenants]], one of whom was [[Ranulf Flambard]]. The land directly controlled by the king included 175 homagers (heads of household), who lived in 75 ''hagae''.<ref name=Field_2022_p10>{{harvnb|Field|2022|p=10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://opendomesday.org/place/SU9949/guildford/ |title= Guildford |author= Powell-Smith A |year= 2011 |publisher= Open Domesday |access-date= 15 July 2022 |archive-date= 8 August 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220808171332/https://opendomesday.org/place/SU9949/guildford/ |url-status= live }}</ref>{{refn|The term ''haga'' (plural ''hagae'') is generally understood to mean an area of land, surrounded by fences or hedges, and containing one or more dwellings. It is sometimes translated as a "close of houses".<ref name=Field_2022_p10/><ref>{{harvnb|Manning|Bray|1804|p=9}}</ref>|group=note}} Flambard's holding included three ''hagae'' that accommodated six homagers and, in total, the town provided an annual income of £30 for the king.<ref name=Field_2022_p10/> William I is also listed as holding Stoke-by-Guildford, which had a population of 24 villagers, ten smallholders and five slaves. The manor had sufficient land for 22 plough teams, 16 acres of meadow, woodland for 40 swine and two mills.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://opendomesday.org/place/SU9950/stoke/ |title= Stoke |author= Powell-Smith A |year= 2011 |publisher= Open Domesday |access-date= 15 July 2022 |archive-date= 8 August 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220808171331/https://opendomesday.org/place/SU9950/stoke/ |url-status= live }}</ref>
[[File:Quinton Town Hall Guildford.jpg|thumb|upright|Town Hall Guildford (postcard 1915) by [[A. R. Quinton]]]]
Guildford remained a property of the Crown throughout the Middle Ages and several kings, including [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] and [[John, King of England|John]] are known to have visited regularly.<ref>{{harvnb|Field|2022|pp=15–16}}</ref> [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] granted the town its first borough charter in January 1257, which permitted it to send two representatives to parliament. In August of the same year, he designated Guildford as the location of the Surrey County Court and [[Assizes]].<ref>{{harvnb|Field|2022|p=18}}</ref> In 1366, [[Edward III of England|Edward III]] issued a [[fee farm grant]], enabling the town to become partially self-governing in exchange for a yearly rent of £10.<ref name=Chamberlin_1982_p70>{{harvnb|Chamberlin|1982|p=70}}</ref> [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] was responsible for granting Guildford its coat of arms in 1485 and, three years later, he awarded the charter of incorporation, which placed the administration of the borough in the hands of a mayor and burgesses, appointed from the merchants' guild.<ref>{{harvnb|Field|2022|pp=27–28}}</ref>

The modern system of local government began to emerge in the 1830s. Under the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]], a democratically elected council replaced the mayor and burgesses, and the borough expanded beyond the medieval town boundaries.<ref name=Corke_1990_Wider>{{harvnb|Corke|1990|loc=Chapter: Wider Still and Wider}}</ref>  A year later, the Guildford Poor Law Union was formed, with responsibility for a total area of {{cvt|12|sqmi|km2}} stretching from [[Godalming]] to [[Woking]].<ref>{{harvnb|Chapman Davies|2004|pp=17–21}}</ref> As a result of the [[Local Government Act 1888]], several responsibilities were transferred from the borough to the newly formed [[Surrey County Council]]. The borough boundaries were extended again in both 1904 and 1933.<ref name=Corke_1990_Wider/><ref name=Chamberlin_1982_pp26-27>{{harvnb|Chamberlin|1982|pp=26–27}}</ref>{{refn|[[Merrow]] was included in the borough for the first time in 1933.<ref name=Chamberlin_1982_pp26-27/>|group=note}} The final enlargement took place in March 1974, when the present local authority was created from the merger of the borough with the Guildford Rural District.<ref>{{harvnb|Field|2022|p=106}}</ref>