The petition of Anne Pope of Whittingham, Lancashire, Michaelmas 1647
To the right wor[shi]p[fu]ll his Ma[jes]ties Justices of peace and Quo[rum] at Preston
The humble petic[i]on of Anne Pope widdowe
Sheweth that yo[u]r petic[i]oner heretofore int[er]married w[i]th Thomas Pope sonne of Richard Pope of Whittingham in the countie of Lancaster husbandman w[i]th the free consent after much & many intreaties of the said Richard Pope w[hi]ch said Thomas Pope was a listed soldier vnder the comand of Live[te]n[an]t Collonell Alex[ande]r Rigby: and was in the parliaments service from the xiiiith day of September 1643 till the Battaile at Boulton where hee receiued such mortall wounds that within sixteene dayes next after hee dyed left yo[u]r petic[i]oner one younge daughter about thirtie weekes ould haveinge noe estate but was to have lived w[i]th th{e sa}id Richard Pope as children: But soe it is that the said Richard Pope after his sonnes death soone w[i]thdrew his sonnes meanes from yo[u]r pet[itione]r and now of late hath warned yo[u]r petic[i]oner & her little child to bee gone quite out of the house where they haue dwelled at & eu[er] since the death of the said Thomas Pope, and to the end hee the said Richard Pope may thence expell yo[u]r petic[i]oner & her child hee hath pulled downe the walls both of the fire house & chamber wherein they lodged and hath almost starved yo[u]r pet[itione]r & her child & refuseth to give any maintenance to the said child.
Therefore & for that the said Richard Pope is grandfather to the said child & for that the said child is destitute of all meanes of livelyhood & in regard that yo[u]r petic[i]oner is soe pore that she is not able to relieve it is likely to bee burthensome to the said parrishe vnles the said Richard Pope whoe is able & by the lawe ought to mainetaine it shal bee by yo[u]r worr[shi]ps order compelled soe to doe yo[u]r pet[itione]r humbly prayeth yo[u]r worr[shi]pps to order & comand the said Richard Pope to mainetaine the said child & to suffer it & yo[u]r petic[i]oner to continue theire habitac[i]on in the said house wherevnto it is the next comeinge ten[a]nt
the grandfathers of both syde shall p[ro]porc[i]onably maintayne the child & Pope to repaire the house againe w[i]thin one month & m or to find her a place or to bee bound to good behauior.
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