The petition of Henrie Bickerstaff of Tunstall Court, Staffordshire, 6 July 1657
To the Right hono[u]rable & right worship[fu]ll the Justices of the Peace of the Countie of Stafford.
The humble petic[i]on of Henrie Bickerstaff of Tunstall Court.
Humblie sheweth that your poore petic[i]oner about seaven yeeres since was Charged by one Richard Drakeford then Constable of Tunstall Court to appeare before Mr Crompton and others Comissioners for the pressing & sendinge over souldiers to Ireland for the service of the State there, & your petic[i]oner was there amongst others pressed to serve for Tunstall Court, whither he then went & served there vnder Collinell John Hughson about a yeere & a halfe vntill he was moste greevouslie wounded & maymed both in the head armes, & bellie, & then when he was soe hurt he was sent over into England w[i]th three souldiers more who weare likewise maymed & sick, to have Releefe in the severall Counties they served for, & y[o]ur poore peti[ti]on[e]r then Repayred to the place he served for, & the Inhabitants of Tunstall gave him forti shillings towards healeing his wounds & maynteyning him in his sicknes & then he repaired to this hon[oura]ble Court, where he was promised a pencion, when anie place fell, & soe y[o]ur peti[tio]n[e]r forbere troubling y[o]u, And now may it please y[ou]r good hono[u]rs & worships to be Cirtified that one Rich[ard] Warde of Burslem who had a pention of forti shillings a yeere is dead since the last Sessions; soe that he hopes y[o]u will be pleased accordinge to y[ou]r former p[ro]mis to settle him in the Roome & place of the sayd Richard Ward and y[o]ur poore peti[ti]oner will ever pray for the longe continuance, of all y[o]ur worships healthe & happiness & will ever Rest
a poore servant of y[o]urs
Henri Bickerstaff
<Tunstal 6 Juli 1657>
<Henry Bickerstaffe is to be in the roome of Ward & to have his 40 s. p[er] Ann[um].>