The petition of Alice Hale of Hertford, Hertfordshire, 1656
To the honn[oura]ble the Justices of Peace for the County of Hertford at their gen[era]ll Quarter sessions.
The humble Petic[i]on of Alice Hale of Hertford a poore & adged widdowe
Sheweth
That yo[u]r Pet[itione]r is a poor adged woman and that her husband William Hale of Datchworth dyed a Souldier in the service of the Parliam[en]t at Alisbury;
That it pleased yo[u]r Honnours after his death to graunt yo[u]r Pet[itione]r a weekly penc[i]on of 2 s. 6 d. p[er] weeke till further order;
That your pet[itione]r did receive the said allowance till after the death of one Daniell Hale (brother to your Pet[itione]rs said husband) by whose death an estate of 60 li. or 70 li. p[er] Ann[um] (besides a p[er]sonall estate of a good value) would haue come & discended and soe to yo[u]r Pet[itione]r.
That by the death of your pet[itione]rs husband the whole estate came to Daniell Hale my sonne who promised for himselfe his heires ex[e]c[uto]rs &c. to pay your pet[itione]r 3 s. p[er] weeke weekly for terme of her life as appe[are]th under his hand & seale, and sayed that if hee dyed before your pet[itione]r hee would allow her 16 li. p[er] Ann[u]m for her life, upon which the penc[i]on of 2 s. 6 d. p[er] week was taken away and 3s. per week paid to yo[u]r Pet[itione]r by the said Daniell till the day of his death and since alsoe till the 24th of June 1655 by Martha the relict of the said Daniell.
That the said Daniell my sonne did marry Martha one of the daughters of Edward Dyer of Hertford and dyed intestate left one daughter onely, by which meanes the whole estate is come to the said Martha who was willing to pay and did pay had it not beene for her father who is now deceased;
That your pet[itione]r hath very importunately intreated for this allowance for her subsistence but cannot procure any part thereof from the 24th of June 1655 to this day, for want of which (your pet[itione]r having nothinge else to live by or subsist upon) shee might haue p[er]ished and had ere this, had not one John Yardley (yo[u]r pet[itione]rs sonne in lawe) taken some pitty upon yo[u]r pet[itione]r who is likely to p[er]ish without it;
May it therefore please yo[u]r Honno[u]rs therefore to call the said Martha Hale the relict of the said Daniell to shew cause why your pet[itione]r is not paid, and to order her to pay yo[u]r poore pet[itione]r the said allowance according to promise and as shee had begun to doe w[i]thout suite in lawe; or to take some other way for a subsistence for yo[u]r poore pet Pet[itione]rs maintenance.
And shee shall ever pray &c.