The petition of John Bird of Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, 1691
To the Hon[oura]ble their Maj[es]ties Justices of the peace & Quor[um] for the County of Hartf[ord] Assembled at the Gen[er]all Quarter Sessions for the sayd County
The Humble petition of John Bird of Berkhamsted St Peter in the sayd County an aged maimed soldier
Sheweth
That your sayd Humble Petitioner was a Soldier for the late King Charles the First in the the [sic.] late Civil wars, & in his sayd service received seu[er]all wounds, which now in his old age (being 80 yeares old, & upwards) soe trouble him, that hee is noe longer able to Labour for his Maintenance, as hee hath allwayes hitherto done without Compl[ain]t, notwithstanding his maims, wounds, Bruises, & other casuall Incidents of warr might have encouraged him to have petitioned much sooner; But now being noe longer able to subsist without Assistance, & being unwilling at last to bee a p[ar]ish charge, when hee hath thus longe industriously kept himselfe therefrom, & knowing the Poore of the sayd parish to be numerous & very chargeable; Hee Humbly petitions this Hon[oura]ble Bench that hee may Receive the Benefit of the Act of Parliament p[ro]vided for poore maimed soldiers, & bee admitted to bee a poore pensioner within this County.
And yo[u]r Humble petitioner shall (as in duty bound) allwayes pray &c.
Wee the Rector, Inhabitants, & parrishioners of Barkhamsted St Peter aforesaid whose names are hereto subscribed hereby certifye the truth of what is alledged in the above written Petition.
George Toppinge
Will[iam] Willett
Francis Geary
Tho[mas] Bening
W[illia]m Lamson
John Wheeller
Gil Geary
John Whelsley
John Hoorne
Ro[bert] Brabant Recor
John Horne
John Woodhouse
Jno Poyner
Fra[ncis] Hemsworth
Joseph Benning
John Carvell
Thomas Paine
James Sta{illegible}
Jame{s} {Illegible}
{Illegible}
{Illegible}
<{Illegible} John Bird {illegible}Pension as {illegible}>