The petition of Dud Dudley of Dudly, Worcestershire, 26 August 1660
<The Petition of Col[onel] Dud Dudly.>
<To be Sworne Sarg[ean]t at Armes according to his Pattent>
<rec[eiv]ed Aug[us]t 26th.>
To the Kings most Exc[ellen]t Majestie:
The humble Petic[i]on of Col[onel] Dud Dudly:
Sheweth
That yo[u]r Pet[titione]r was imployed by yo[u]r Sacred Father of ever blessed memory into Scotland and hath continued Loyall and faithfull to this present & hath been plundered & wounded often his whole Estate of 200 li. p[er] an[num] in Lands sold, his goods Stock, & Ironworks destroyed to ye value of 2000 li. at Least, alsoe men, Armes, horse, Canon & great Shott &c: with ye Hazard of his life, he brought into Nottingham, Darby, Worcester; Stafford: Oxford &c. for which and other Services for his late Ma[jes]tie and y[ou]r Sacred Ma[jes]tie yo[u]r Pet[itione]r was retaken, (his sickly wife throwne out of dores) & 200 men dispeirced, killed, & some taken, namely Major Harcourt, Major Elliots Capt[ai]n Long, Cornett Hodgetts, of whome Major Harcourt was miserably burned with matches. The Pet[itione]r and the rest stripped almost naked, & in Tryumph & Scorne caried up the City of Worcester, which he fortifyed (being the Generall of the Two last traines of Artillary) & was kept close prisoners with double Guards sett upon ye Prison, & City, Yet ye Pe[titione]r & Major Elliotts escaped over the tops of ye Houses of the City & by ye guards; but pursued soe that from Worcester to London (being 90 miles) were forced to take trees in the day time, & travell in ye night, but noe sooner got to London, but ye Major First, and the Pe[titione]r taken afterwards and brought before ye Lord Mayor in [16]48. from thence to ye Parl[iamen]t and afterward to that Cursed Com[mit]tee of Insurrections, who Comitted them to ye Gatehouse Close prisoners & were to be shott to death upon ye Munday before Cholchester was surrendred, had they not escaped the Sunday, with S[i]r Henry Baker, Major Elliotts, Capt[ai]n South, Capt[ai]n Paris & six others, at ten of ye Clock in Sermon time, 3 or 4 Goallers opposing them, and ever Sithence till now had not one peny of his Estate, for himselfe, his wife & family nor where to Lay their heads, y[ou]r Pe[tition]er wounded in [16]48 & fedd 3 weeks in private in an Enemys haymow, & passed with Crutches Worcester, Teuckbery, Gloucester & Bristoll In Sept[embe]r 1648. & since y[ou]r Ma[jes]ties Landing yo[u]r Pet[ition]er had yo[u]r Ma[jes]ties first Warr[an]t for Sergeant at Armes, & passed his Pattent yett kept from being sworne;
May it please yo[u]r Ma[jes]tie after all his sadd sufferings whereof these are but part to grant yo[u]r warr[ant] that he may be sworne, in his place, having passed his Pattent, & made {?so} just a progresse; Yet in his place are others placed (who haue not done so faith full service:) but passed pattents since ye pet[itione]r passed in pattent
And yo[u]r Pet[itione]r shall ever pray for yo[u]r Ma[jes]ties hapy Reign
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