The petition of Henry Norton of Turf House, Northumberland, 12 July 1710
To the hono[ur]able Bench
The Petition of Henry Norton of Turfe house in the p[ar]ish of Hexham & Countey aforesaid
Humbly
Sheweth yt y[ou]r Petition[e]r is a very poor man aged near upon 90 years, haueing a wife & three children, & wanting friends, hath noe dependence for subsistence without the charitable help of well disposed p[er]sons, And being through de age debilitated with Infirmity & weakness to travell in order to Craue ye Charity of pious minded people Is in great Likelyhood of starueing together with his said family without ye speciall Assistance of this hono[u]rable Bench; of whom he Craues help in this his extream want & miserable & deplorable Circumstance; And whereas it is well known he hath been a True Loyalist to the Crown of Great Brittain a sufferer in Carrying Armes vnder Charles the first of blessed memory dureing all the time of his Troubles, And then after in the seruice of Generall Monk vnder the Com[m]and of Lord Widdrington and soe Continued till the bringing in of Charles ye second to his Crown & dignity, And haueing euer since his desisting from Arms, liued Credibly & honestly, & been of a good life & Conversation & a True Member of ye high Church of England, & ; was in such state & Condition, as that he not only whilst he was in Condition to stir about in order to make a life by honest labour & Industry liued Commendably of himselfe, but also was helpfull to others till age seized upon him. Insoemuch That what was Gathered by his honest Endeavours is wholly Exhausted & spent vpon ye maintainance of his family; & haueing had three sons from whom he expected Assistance for three years & vpwards and at this Juncture in the Queens seruice, He is thereby destitute of all Relief without yo[u]r hono[u]rable help in this behalfe.
Wherefore begs a Charitable ear to this his deploreable Circumstance, And that out of pious Consideration had to the p[re]mises, you will gratiously be pleased to Grant him by order of Session such weekly Allowance from the said p[ar]ish as may be thought Competent towards the supporting him & his said distressed family, And yo[u]r Petition[e]r
As in duty bound
will euer pray &c.