The petition of Ann Betsworth of Lavant, Sussex, 6 April 1646
To the right wor[shipfu]ll the Justices of peace at the Sessions holden for the West part of the countie of Sussex the 6th of Aprill 1646.
The humble petic[i]on of Ann Betsworth widowe late wife of William Betsworth corporall of the horse of Chichester garrison.
Sheweth that wheras her late husband out of his extraordinary loue & affecc[i]on to the parliam[en]t & their cause haueing but onlie 100 li. porc[i]on left him lent 50 li. thereof to Ireland towards the subduing of the blouddy minded Rebells there, and at the Earlle of Essex his first going forth entered himselfe a souldyer in his owne Regiment & contynued in seruice vnder him & S[i]r W[illia]m Waller till about a yeare & a halfe since he came to Chichester where for his approoued vallor & honesty he was made corporall of the horse there, & where he contynued till he went to the last relieffe of Taunton, & during his soe being a souldyer he did true & faithfull seruice to the State, & was in many daingerous battells & receiued diuers wounds and assoone as he was from time to time cured (at his owne charge) he went forth againe.
Nowe soe it is, that your petic[i]oners husband after more then ordinary good seruice done by him in the last relieffe of Taunton, by being more then ordinary valiant in pursuing the enimye to farr was there slayne, by reason wherof & for that he had spent his other 50 li. not lent to Ireland before he came to Chichester in buying of horses armes &c, & in cureing his wounds from time to time receiued, your poore petic[i]oner his wife is vtterly vndone shee being great with childe when her husband was slayne & shortly after deliuered of 2 children, euer since w[hi]ch time shee hath beene weake & sickly & full of greeffe & sorrow & soe like to contynue noe way able to gett her liueing & therefore like to perish for want.
Shee therefore humblie beseecheth your wor[shi]pps all the premisses considered to allowe vnto her 10 li. yearly during her life (w[hi]ch shee conceiues cannot be long) out of the stock for charitable vses or maimed souldyers for the Westerne part of this countie, her husband haueing lost his life as a souldyer sent out of this countie, the w[hi]ch yearly sum[m]e she is confident you would haue allowed her husband if he had returned a maimed souldyer, And your poore petic[i]oner shall euer pray &c.
Anne Bettsworth
We whose names are subscribed doe knowe the substance of this petic[i]on to be true, and we conceiue there is iust cause to releiue the petic[i]oner according to her humble request
Jo: Chapman
William Cawley
Geo[rge] Oglander
Tho[mas] Chafey
Step[hen] Humfrey Ri[chard] Boughton
Thomas Greene
Richard Manninge