The petition of Elizabeth Clarke of Macclesfield, Cheshire, Trinity 1658
To the ho[noura]ble Bench at the Gen[er]all Sessions
The humble petition of Elizabeth Clarke of Macclesfield widow
humbly sheweth
That yo[u]r petition[e]rs late husband Christpher Clarke was a Souldier in the late warr vnder the Com[m]and of Capt[ai]n John Leadbeater and was slaine at Hoult, and yo[u]r petition[e]r (being a desolate widow with a poore diseased child vpon her hand) had a yearely pension of Fortie shillings allowed her w[hi]ch was paid her quarterly for some few yeares after but the order whereby it was graunted was afterwards lost at another Sessions where it was shewed to the Bench and she could not gett it againe.
Since w[hi]ch tyme Tenne shillings of yo[u]r petition[e]rs yearely pension hath beene kept backe, with a p[ro]mise from the Bench, that if need required it should be added againe w[hi]ch neu[e]r yet was done
May it therefore please this ho[noura]ble Bench to take yo[u]r poore petition[e]rs case into yo[u]r pyous and Charitable considerac[i]on yo[u]r petition[e]r herself growing into yeares is very dimme of sight and can gett very smale towards a liuelyhood and her poore child, disease (being the evill) doth soe farre grow vpon her that she is not able to worke insomuch that yo[u]r petition[e]r hath beene constrained to sell those smale necessaryes in her house to relieue her poore child in her necessity
The pr[e]miss[e]s considered yo[u]r petition[e]r humbly prayes that this ho[noura]ble Bench will be pleased to Order yo[u]r petition[e]r her whole pension in regard of her childs great weaknes
And she shal bee engaged to pray &c