The petition of John Corde of Dunterton, Devon, 1682
To the Hon[oura]ble Bench att the generall Quarter Sessions of the peace held att the Castle of Exon for the County of Devon
The humble petition of John Corde of the p[ar]ish of Dunterton in the County afores[ai]d
<Humbly sheweth>
That whereas yo[u]r petitioner being a loyall subject unto o[u]r most gracious King Charles the first of Ever blessed memory & was a souldier in his Maj[es]ties service in the late unhappy war under the command of Capt[ain] Degory Tremayne in the Regim[en]t of the Hon[oura]ble S[i]r Bevill Grenvill & was for a long time a Sergeant in the company afores[ai]d & never took up arms for the Parliam[en]t but onely for his late Maj[es]ty. In which war & during the time that he was in that office of a Sergeant, yo[u]r poor petitioner did receive (besides severall other wounds in divers p[ar]ts of his body) one very dangerous wound in his leg, which not onely makes him unable to work, but very often & that for a long time together, confines him to his bed in a very weak & ill condition, to the great expence & loss of himself & family in his attendance, medicines & other necessaries. It hath cost him much mony in endeavo[u]rs for a cure but all to no purpose it being according to the advice of very able Chirurgions incurable. By means whereof yo[u]r poor petitioner with his wife & children are utterly undone without some support.
Yo[u]r poor petitioner therefore having hitherto endeavoured to live upon his own substance being loath to be chargeable, & having (by means of this hurt) spent not onely his own but likewise severall legacies given to his children is att last reduced to that Extream poverty that he is forced to cast himself upon the compassion of this Hon[oura]ble Bench humbly desiring that you will be pleased to allow him somewhat out of the Hospitall to relieve him in this his poor & helpless condition, & yo[u]r poor petitioner shall ever pray &c
The matters above menc[i]oned are true
Phillip Reed
Jos[eph] Reed Rect[o]r de Dunterton
Daniell Cornish Con[sta]ble
John Sendell Churchwarden
John Prest } ouerseers
Petter Handsoke }
< I am well assured of the truth of this petition>
<Arthur Tremayne>
<Edm[und] Tremayne>
<Edw[ard] Greenewoode>
[Overleaf:]
John Cords peticion 40 s. p[er] ann[um] & recommended &c