Guildford, 2 Edward 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 February and 26th December, 1330; 18th–20th November, 1331; 2nd September, 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 23rd April, 1337, 11 Edward 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 December, Edward was himself at Guildford, as he was in 1340, and again 27th–28th December, 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 Edward III. the sheriff still held his official residence in the castle, which was the prison, as before, for the two counties. 42 Edward III., 1368, 28th July, the king was here. 43 Edward III., the custody of the castle and park was given to Helmyng Legatte for life. Edward was again here, 45 Edward 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 Henry 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 Henry VII., 1487, the old complaint is revived, and the county of Sussex again petitions for a gaol of its own, and under its own sheriff, suggesting Lewes as a proper place. This time the prayer was granted, and probably the Surrey prisoners either then or soon afterwards were bestowed elsewhere, though the two counties continued long after this to be placed under one sheriff. As late as 1620 a Sussex gentleman, Nicholas Eversfield, was sheriff of the two counties, and the jurisdiction does not appear to have been finally divided till 1637.