 Local historians with an interest in toponyms cite the lack of gold in the region's sedimentary rocks and have suggested that the mention of 'gold' may refer to golden flowers found by the ford itself, or the golden sand; several older sources such as Lewis's topological dictionary of 1848 prefer and give an unreferenced assertion there was a guild.Rural Celtic Bronze Age pieces have been found in the town.Some of the tiles built into Guildford Castle may be Roman, and a Roman villa has been found on Broad Street Common at the end of Roman Farm Road just west of Guildford's Park Barn neighbourhood.